Nowhere in the world is safe for a teenage girl. It’s a lesson viewers learn quickly—and one our protagonist already knows—in Eliza Hittman’s all-too-realistic Never Rarely Sometimes Always. Faced with an unexpected pregnancy and an unsupportive family, Pennsylvania teenager Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) and her cousin (Talia Ryder) travel across state lines for an abortion. Whether it’s a boss at the local grocery store, a man on the subway, a seemingly nice passenger, or her own father, the men in Autumn’s life are a nuisance at best and a danger at worst. While the subject matter is powerful on its own, Flanigan’s and Ryder’s performances take the film to the next level, portraying a relationship where words are rarely needed. One particularly heartbreaking scene reveals the film’s title when Autumn responds to a questionnaire from a Planned Parenthood nurse about her relationship history, a wave of emotions silently cracking through her careful composure with each probing question. Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a slow-moving film, but these young women will stay with you long after the film ends.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
PG-13 • 1 hour 41 min
