NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
****
Director: Eliza Hittman
Screenwriter: Eliza Hittman
Principal cast:
Sidney Flanigan
Talia Ryder
Théodore Petterin
Sharon Van Etten
Ryan Eggold
Drew Seltzer
Country: USA/UK
Classification: M
Runtime: 101 mins.
Australian release date: 29 October 2020.
Set in small-town Pennsylvania and New York City, Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a compelling story about an unwanted pregnancy and the difficult process of having an abortion in America. The anti-abortion movement is alive and thriving in many US states and the issue is likely to become even more divisive with the recent appointment of the conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, so many women are afraid that Roe v. Wade will be challenged in the near future. All of which makes Hittman’s a very timely film. It explores the case of a girl who, because of an emotionally fractured home-life, sets out to deal with her dilemma with only the help of her equally young cousin.
Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) is 17-years-old when she seeks confirmation of her condition at a local pregnancy centre and is told that the law in Pennsylvania does not allow minors to have a termination without parental consent. The counsellor, although appearing to be non-judgemental, makes her watch an anti-abortion video, which only seems to increase Autumn’s resolve; she knows that she is not in a position to raise a child. Encouraged by her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder), the girls ‘borrow’ some funds from the till at the local supermarket where they work and catch a bus to NYC. When they arrive, a couple of fish out of water, they manage to locate the Brooklyn clinic and its much more sympathetic counsellors, who guide Autumn through the process. She finds, however, that the procedure is not easy as she had hoped, and the girls will have to spend a few days in the city… with little money and time is of the essence as they need to return home as soon as possible to avoid their parents finding out where they are. In desperation, they contact Jasper (Théodore Pellerin), a guy they met on the bus to the city, who is able to give them some financial assistance, at a price.
Hittman, who also wrote the film’s script, got the idea for Never Rarely Sometimes Always when she read that new state regulations and the closure of abortion clinics meant that more American women were having to travel greater distances to obtain abortions. As she gathered information online, she came across details that informed the story she would eventually tell. “There were articles about women who traveled to New York City for abortions and they would end up sleeping on benches at night,” she says. “The city is so cost-prohibitive that they had nowhere to stay.” She uses very little dialogue in her screenplay but manages to put you in the headspace of the awkward, naive teens at its centre. Words aren’t needed to convey the depth of solidarity and friendship between the two close cousins - they are totally on each other’s wavelength. Both actors are extraordinary; even more remarkable is the fact that it’s their feature film debuts. The camera catches every emotion that Flanigan, in particular, is experiencing (watch her face in the scene in which she is answering a very confronting questionnaire at the Brooklyn clinic - it’s a bravura performance). Ryder, on the other hand, portrays all the qualities of a true ‘BFF’, always showing concern and compassion without being patronising, so much so that dialogue between the pair is hardly necessary. It is a duo act that is rarely captured on screen in such a profoundly moving way.
While the situation in Never Rarely Sometimes Always is pretty grim and is the core of the story, its upside is the loving relationship between Autumn and Skylar. It clearly shows how important it is for women to be able to make their own health decisions but also the need for constructive, professional advice in making them. Hittman succeeds in bringing this controversial situation to the fore without being preachy or taking sides. It’s a movie that’s emotionally intimate while keeping you guessing as to where it’s going to end up.
Screenwriter: Eliza Hittman
Principal cast:
Sidney Flanigan
Talia Ryder
Théodore Petterin
Sharon Van Etten
Ryan Eggold
Drew Seltzer
Country: USA/UK
Classification: M
Runtime: 101 mins.
Australian release date: 29 October 2020.
Set in small-town Pennsylvania and New York City, Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a compelling story about an unwanted pregnancy and the difficult process of having an abortion in America. The anti-abortion movement is alive and thriving in many US states and the issue is likely to become even more divisive with the recent appointment of the conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, so many women are afraid that Roe v. Wade will be challenged in the near future. All of which makes Hittman’s a very timely film. It explores the case of a girl who, because of an emotionally fractured home-life, sets out to deal with her dilemma with only the help of her equally young cousin.
Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) is 17-years-old when she seeks confirmation of her condition at a local pregnancy centre and is told that the law in Pennsylvania does not allow minors to have a termination without parental consent. The counsellor, although appearing to be non-judgemental, makes her watch an anti-abortion video, which only seems to increase Autumn’s resolve; she knows that she is not in a position to raise a child. Encouraged by her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder), the girls ‘borrow’ some funds from the till at the local supermarket where they work and catch a bus to NYC. When they arrive, a couple of fish out of water, they manage to locate the Brooklyn clinic and its much more sympathetic counsellors, who guide Autumn through the process. She finds, however, that the procedure is not easy as she had hoped, and the girls will have to spend a few days in the city… with little money and time is of the essence as they need to return home as soon as possible to avoid their parents finding out where they are. In desperation, they contact Jasper (Théodore Pellerin), a guy they met on the bus to the city, who is able to give them some financial assistance, at a price.
Hittman, who also wrote the film’s script, got the idea for Never Rarely Sometimes Always when she read that new state regulations and the closure of abortion clinics meant that more American women were having to travel greater distances to obtain abortions. As she gathered information online, she came across details that informed the story she would eventually tell. “There were articles about women who traveled to New York City for abortions and they would end up sleeping on benches at night,” she says. “The city is so cost-prohibitive that they had nowhere to stay.” She uses very little dialogue in her screenplay but manages to put you in the headspace of the awkward, naive teens at its centre. Words aren’t needed to convey the depth of solidarity and friendship between the two close cousins - they are totally on each other’s wavelength. Both actors are extraordinary; even more remarkable is the fact that it’s their feature film debuts. The camera catches every emotion that Flanigan, in particular, is experiencing (watch her face in the scene in which she is answering a very confronting questionnaire at the Brooklyn clinic - it’s a bravura performance). Ryder, on the other hand, portrays all the qualities of a true ‘BFF’, always showing concern and compassion without being patronising, so much so that dialogue between the pair is hardly necessary. It is a duo act that is rarely captured on screen in such a profoundly moving way.
While the situation in Never Rarely Sometimes Always is pretty grim and is the core of the story, its upside is the loving relationship between Autumn and Skylar. It clearly shows how important it is for women to be able to make their own health decisions but also the need for constructive, professional advice in making them. Hittman succeeds in bringing this controversial situation to the fore without being preachy or taking sides. It’s a movie that’s emotionally intimate while keeping you guessing as to where it’s going to end up.