Sundance 2020: NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS: A Difficult, But Essential Piece Of Cinema

Following her commanding feature debut in 2017 with Beach Rats, Eliza Hittman returns to Sundance this year with an equally impressive cinematic effort. Never Rarely Sometimes Always may not be the type of film destined for multiple repeat viewings, but that has nothing to do with its quality as a film. Hittman truly knocks this one way out of the park by crafting a brutally realistic film that is both beautiful and painful to watch.

After learning about an unwanted pregnancy, 17-year old Autumn (played by newcomer Sidney Flanigan) begins to seek out her options in rural Pennsylvania. She quickly realizes the limitations of what her hometown is able to offer, and ends up hopping on a bus with her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder) to New York City. What follows is a film journeying the heartbreaking lengths a woman might have to go through in order to take control of her own body.

Reading between the lines

What’s almost immediately apparent is the lack of dialogue in Never Rarely Sometimes Always, which puts a bulk of the narration in the capable hands of the film’s two lead actresses. Flanigan gives a tour-de-force debut performance, and one can only hope that she continues to endeavour a career in acting. Equally as impressive is Ryder, a relatively new actress herself, who provides a sense of grounded maturity that carries the narrative as it visits some dark terrain.

But despite what some may feel to be performances that are overly nuanced and subtle, the gravity of the situation that these two teenage characters are facing is never lost in the quiet dust. The film simply chooses a more naturalistic way of depicting the realities of stress, which doesn’t always equate to verbose exclamations. And mixed within all this are also tender moments shared between the two lead characters, which are rare, but certainly impactful.

The power of silent politics

It’s also worth noting the subject matter of the film, which is unfortunately a contentious topic of discussion for many, both personally and politically. And while Never Rarely Sometimes Always could have openly discussed its narrative’s politics, as the material was all there in plain sight, it chose to do this silently. It chose to embed its political criticism through the emotional journey that its characters went through. The result is something that rings truth in a way that is both raw and visceral.

By choosing to use emotion as a means of exploring the political climate around abortions in America, the message actually ends up being even clearer. The film really elaborates on the emotional and physical turmoil that the nation’s political rulings have on its people, which is much more effective than criticizing its politics in a de-facto manner.

A difficult, but essential piece of cinema

When all is said and done, I walked out of Never Rarely Sometimes Always feeling quite emphatically gutted. As I’ve already alluded to in my opening, this is far from an easy film to watch. There are some truly heartbreaking scenes that unfold in a manner that is meant to stick. The gruelling nature makes it difficult for me to stomach a second viewing anytime soon, even though it’s truly a remarkable piece of filmmaking.

And this perhaps also speaks to the greater issue of abortion laws in America, which will hopefully change in the right direction so that stories like these will not have repeat occurrences in real life either. Eliza Hittman has crafted an important piece of cinema, which demands a lot from its audience, but also has an enormous amount to give back. It might not be the most exciting thing to come out of Sundance this year, but I would certainly hope that this will become one of the most important films to come out of the 2020 calendar year.

Read our interview with the director and stars here.