Never Rarely Sometimes Always Movie Review

Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)

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Written by: Eliza Hittman
Directed by: Eliza Hittman
Starring: Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
A pair of teenage girls in rural Pennsylvania travel to New York City to seek out medical help after an unintended pregnancy.

Verdict
It's powerful.  The movie does so much with very little dialog. The directing and acting create this story that doesn't need words. It's a divisive subject, but this movie is about two girls in need and their lack of support. It's a movie that makes you want to help these two girls, wishing the world were different. Autumn doesn't say much, but we begin to internalize how she feels as we watch her journey unfold.
Watch it.

Review
This is such a harrowing journey for Autumn (Sidney Flanigan). From the start, we see a girl with no support. Her father is completely disinterested to the point he won't even compliment his daughter. Autumn suspects she's pregnant and that's the plot of this movie. There is very little dialog. Autumn never says much, but she doesn't need to. This walks us through teenage pregnancy and Autumn's life.

Sidney Flanigan plays Autumn.

She works at a grocery store with her cousin. An older man hits on her teenage cousin in the checkout line and the girls share a knowing look. The store manager is completely creepy. Who would Autumn go to for support? She doesn't have anyone.

There's a lot of detail in the direction, from looks characters exchange to how this establishes the characters. The shots deliberately  convey the story, choosing what to depict.
Autumn goes to a clinic to confirm she is pregnant. The clinic avoids the topic of abortion and uses scare tactics, not providing her with all the information. This leads Autumn to search for how to self induce a miscarriage. That's a rough scene. This movie looks at a system of failures on every front. It's a tough watch and a tough situation for Autumn. Numerous systems and ideologies put her in this situation where she feels like she doesn't have any help. She faces endless challenges and we see it step by step.

This is a collection of small quiet moments and a powerful scene happens later in the movie when a different clinic asks her about relationships related to her safety. We see Autumn's reactions to the questions and her inclination to avoid them. That's the point we realize how little support she has, and how she doesn't have many good relationships, not with boyfriends or her family.

Autumn's cousin is the unsung hero of the movie. She's the one that acts as support and travels with Autumn. I wanted a big moment at the end where Autumn thanks her or acknowledges everything, but it doesn't happen. Autumn isn't that kind of person, and this isn't that kind of movie.

Discussions of this movie will lead to the pro-life or pro-choice argument. I don't argue politics; I review movies, but I always think of this article when the debate arises "The Only Moral Abortion if My Abortion."