[rating=9.00]
Never Rarely Sometimes Always is the kind of small scale film that might’ve gotten ignored by wider audiences even in the most perfect of conditions. While its subject matter—abortion—would have, no doubt, captured the wrong kinds of attention, leading to endless saber rattling online, the film itself, intimate and low key, would have been, unfortunately, most likely been lost in the fray.
These, of course, are not the best of times and the conditions are far from perfect. Things being as they are, Never Rarely Sometimes Always is opting to skip the theatrical window all together and hoping to make a splash via on demand. The saber rattling and fighting will almost certainly happen either way, but hopefully the film won’t languish unseen or forgotten.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always deserves your undivided attention, regardless of where you sit on the issue of abortion. Writer/director Eliza Hittman has crafted a stunning work of emotional art that removes mere politics from the discussion surrounding abortion. It feels, at times, just a half step from a film verité documentary, forcing the audience to stare straight on at the realities surrounding the decision to end one’s pregnancy. Visceral and raw, Never Rarely Sometimes Always is an unflinching look at an issue that, whether you admit it or not, affects us all.
Sidney Flanigan makes her acting debut as Autumn, a 17 year old girl from small town Pennsylvania who finds herself pregnant with nowhere to turn. Lacking access to abortion in her state, she and her cousin, Skylar (Talia Ryder), hop a bus to New York City. There, the two young girls seek assistance wherever they can, a journey that leads them through the byzantine rules that govern her body as the clock keeps on ticking.
It’s difficult to believe that Flanigan is making her debut on the big screen with this film. Watching her nuanced and emotional performance, she feels like a seasoned star. The weight of her predicament and her choice weighs on her more and more with every passing second, and the young actress wears the increasing distress of Autumn with heartbreaking grace.
Hittman rarely lets the camera stray far from Autumn, so much so that the character begins to feel less like a character than she does a subject for a documentary. One particularly impactful scene finds Autumn forced to answer a series of questions to her counselor at the NYC Planned Parenthood and each passing query finds Flanigan’s eyes becoming more and more glossy as the emotions begin to flood her system. The camera, positioned with such intimacy, invites us to look into the eyes of someone making this decision for themselves and judge them for it, daring us to say anything about the flippancy with which these choices might be made, and forcing us to consider that, no matter the circumstances, these are difficult decisions to make.
The result is a narrative that refocuses the issue on the humanity behind the question of abortion. It’s one thing to believe what you believe on a personal level but quite another to force your philosophy onto another. In Autumn, Hittman has created a perfect surrogate for millions of faceless girls and women across the country who are, today, making the choice for themselves. Through her, we’re asked to understand them, to see them, and empathize with their positions, regardless of how much you might disagree with them.
Empathy is, in fact, the key theme to Never Rarely Sometimes Always. Hittman has crafted her film to funnel you directly towards feeling for Autumn; each shot, each moment, each new obstacle is designed for you to understand what it is she has to go through and why she’s choosing to go through it. That this is Flanigan’s first outing feels outrageous. Hittman has put a lot of weight on her young shoulders and she carries it with the strength of an actress long seasoned by film making and the performing arts. Of course, it also helps us to feel her plight more easily. Operating without the burden of previous roles, we’re able to see Autumn, not someone merely playing her.
The result is raw and deeply affecting. It is a wonder of cinematic narrative that takes us deep into the mind and heart of a young woman seeking an abortion. Even if you disagree with her, you should watch what she goes through and gain a better understanding of the realities women across the world face every day of their lives.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a rare cinematic treat that doesn’t shy away from hard truths and difficult realities, putting a human face to an issue that so many are content to demonize and ignore. Regardless your personal stance on the issue, Never Rarely Sometimes Always is an important film not just to watch but to feel. It is a stunning work of art that is as captivating as it is important.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always is now available on VOD platforms.
