Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)

[Brn2bwild]

See the Rotten Tomatoes page for description and reviews.

I didn't see another thread about this.  This movie was released on March 13, 2020, so it did not get much of a theatrical release, and I found out about it through Amazon's Video On Demand.  I found it to be quite powerful, one of the most unflinching looks at what a young woman has to go through to get an abortion when she comes from a state with restrictions.  

[kiddo82]

I rented this back in April.  It's not perfect but the two parts that got me were the long uncut shot of Autumn answering the never/rarely/sometimes/always questions at the clinic and especially the little pinkie to pinkie between Skylar and Autumn when Skylar is with the kid from the bus.  That tiny "I'm here for you" gesture damn near broke me.  Another scene that has stuck out in my mind is the creep at the grocery store.   In a movie where almost (if not all) the men are presented as creeps this one it home as something that probably every teenage girl/20 something woman has faced in her life.  Basically, he looked like he was in his 60s and he kept hounding this 17 year old cashier to go to a party at his house.  What the hell, dude?  But I think I've met that guy.  We've all met that guy.  And it was those little tiny moments that were sprinkled throughout the movie where it was like, "You might not have went though what these two are going through specifically, but we all have some form of shared experience with this."  What was refreshing about the movie in general was that through it all, the leads were never presented as anything more than 17 year old  girls.  They weren't wise or mature beyond their years.  They made some short sighted decisions.  There were no grand speeches or moments.  Skylar didn't always have the right thing to say to comfort Autumn.  It made it cringey to watch sometimes (in a good way) but it also felt real and grounded.  I think if you make one or both of them more worldly it makes the story more fantastical and you risk detracting from your message.  I also just loved their overall friendship as imperfect as they were.  On a completely different note, I know Ryan Eggold is on New Amsterdam so I'm guessing he plays a good guy, but literally my only exposure to him has been this movie and BlacKkKlansman so I'm like "is this guy ever not a disgusting asshole?"

Edited June 22, 2020 by kiddo82

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Critics' Choice Award nominations!

Best Actress - Sidney Flanigan

Best Young Actor/Actress - Talia Ryder

Best Original Screenplay - Eliza Hittman