Never Rarely Sometimes Always Written and directed by Eliza Hittman, the film is an intimate portrayal of two teenage girls in rural Pennsylvania. Thereâs a high school talent show, an after-pageant dinner during which an unsettled family dynamic is revealed, and a recognition that Autumn is a rebel without a cause. So âNever Rarely Sometimes Alwaysâ is a road-trip movie, but with the stakes high and the hi-jinks nonexistent. Written and directed by Eliza Hittman, NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS contains minimal dialogue and yet itâs one of the most powerful screenplays to date. My heart breaks for Autumn throughout this film. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2020. But 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always,' a new movie written and directed by Eliza Hittman, does just that. Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a 2020 American-British drama film written and directed by Eliza Hittman. In Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Hittman perfectly contrasts two equally dismal environments: thereâs Autumnâs sleepy small town, and then thereâs New York. Itâs about the struggles to make a decision that entails much hardship and harassment while not neglecting the suffused hurt gravitating to it. In fact, the filmâs basic message is that it ought to be easier for its protagonist to [â¦] She shouldnât have to make life-altering decisions. The brilliance in âNever Rarely Sometimes Alwaysâ lies in its subtlety; although Jasper preys on Skylar through delicate touching and sly aggression, heâs not an outward predator. Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always culminates in one of the most stand out moments of the film, as Talia Ryderâs character, Skylar, makes out with a boy names Jasper ⦠Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) is a 17-year-old high school student in a small mining town in Pennsylvania. The reason that âNever, Rarely, Sometimes, Alwaysâ is such an impressive piece of work is that Hittman has such deep compassion for her two leads, a pair of young women pushing through a world that is constantly putting obstacles in their path. She doesnât interrupt the moment, but instead shows a simple gesture of support that she describes is one of her favorite moments from Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always: The moment that always personally gets me is when Autumn finds Skylar making out with the guy behind the pillar and they lock pinkies. The movie centers around a deep and taboo subject, abortion. Never Rarely Sometimes Always is an intimate portrayal of two teenage girls in rural Pennsylvania. Maybe you should know that going in. Autumn then goes back outside after Jasper does some karaoke and gets onstage herself. In Never Rarely Sometimes Always, ... Jasperâs presence lingers on in the film, enchanted by Skylarâs beauty, transforming from lecherous teen to an eventual financial lifeline. She tries to call her mom to let her know she is fine, but she can barely say anything. And writing this review has been no easier, focusing as it does on the difficult topic of abortion. Without turning Jasper into a sub-human predator, the movieâs clear about his transactional strategy: Heâs buying their gratitude, or hopes to. His subtle manipulation ultimately generates a transaction: Autumn paid the clinic ⦠Not only abortion but a teenage girl who travels to another state to receive an abortion, so her parents do not have to find out. The film jolts with mundane elements that illustrate the systemic misogyny over womenâs bodies. Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a Focus Feature film and a winner at the Sundance festival! Autumn gets a sonogram where we see bruises on her stomach. In an intimate portrayal of friendship and courage, unintentionally pregnant Autumn and her cousin Skylar seek support in New York City. Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020) ... Jasper asks for her number to invite her to a party, and she gives it to him. Rarely is it treated as what it is: a highly personal health care decision. You wonât forget them. The early scenes of Never Rarely Sometimes Always offer some of the staples of teen/high school movies before the narrative deviates into singular territory. The girls arrive in the city and make their way to the Planned Parenthood in Brooklyn. âNever,â âRarely,â âSometimes,â or âAlwaysâ Hittman peppers the film with guys like Jasper and situations in which girls like Autumn and Skylar feel trapped. Sheâs just a kid after all. Never Rarely Sometimes Always gets its name from a pivotal scene. NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS *CUT TO THE CHASE* NOTE: ... Jasper gets Skylar to drink with him, while Autumn goes to the bathroom and experiences pain and bleeding. A low-key knockout, âNever Rarely Sometimes Alwaysâ tells a seldom-told story about abortion. Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a difficult film to watch. Mainstream art and media overwhelmingly reduce abortion to a topic of political and religious controversy, of culture wars and red-state legislation. It stars Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin, Ryan Eggold and Sharon Van Etten. Instead, âNever Rarely Sometimes Alwaysâ risks complete submersion into a 17-year-old female body thatâs pregnant, pissed and trapped in a patriarchy, though she wouldnât call it that. NEW YORK (CNS) â Misguided values permeate writer-director Eliza Hittmanâs desolate abortion-themed drama âNever Rarely Sometimes Alwaysâ (Focus). Never Rarely Sometimes Always, the latest film from writer-director Eliza Hittman (Beach Rats), merges the tension of a thriller, the sensitivity of a character study and the urgency of a documentary. On the bus they meet Jasper (Theodore Pellerin), a city kid who takes a liking to Skylar and tries to goad the two friends to come downtown with him to a club. Abortion is largely defined by the politics that surround it. Never Rarely Sometimes Always makes the politics of women's reproductive rights personal, as two friends travel from small-town Pennsylvania to New York City to terminate a pregnancy. NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS is not that kind of film. New offering of Eliza Hittman (Beach Rats), Never Rarely Sometimes Always therefore follows in the footsteps of Autumn, a teenager of 17 years, who must leave his small town in Pennsylvania to go and put an end to an unplanned pregnancy in a clinic in new york. And it does so without cant, speeches, inflamed ⦠Never Rarely Sometimes Always is kept at a very low boil to rely more on simplicity and honesty instead of getting overly political when it comes to abortion and those not yet of age. âNever Rarely Sometimes Alwaysâ is a movie about a teenage girl who travels to New York with her cousin to get an abortion. Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Hittmanâs third feature and another tale of teenage sexuality, further cements that status in a much more ambitious project.The filmmaker expands her geographical scope, setting part of the movie in Pennsylvania, and takes on a topicâthe erosion of reproductive rightsâof national urgency. They say no, but call him the next day when they need money. The technician tells her that she is ⦠Not all the men in Never Rarely Sometimes Always are threats. 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