Never Rarely Sometimes Always

When the questionnaire forces her so see the abuse through the eyes of a healthy soul and how her environment taught her to internalize and normalize it. Heartbreaking.

An incredibly powerful story that is small in scope but soars with its small moments. Eliza Hittman tackles each mundane step in Autumn's plight with the utmost care with result being a completely immersive experience. Everything is gritty and removed until a scene halfway through that is heartbreaking. Sidney Flanigan has all of thirty lines of dialogue but her eyes give away plenty in a very impressive debut.

Every single male that is seen or implied in this film is an asshole/molester. Does this happen in well-made, empathetic feminist films never/rarely/sometimes/always?

What strikes me about this is how little is ever *said* in this film. She follows the social contract, which requires that this is something girls simply have to deal with themselves, and everyone already knows how it goes. Only when an actual, printed script is introduced is she forced to put words on it for a few minutes before slipping back into low-key survival mode - no great resolution, no riding off into new life, just a dodged bullet.

The oppressive environment weighs so heavy here: the stream of normalized wounds is endless (see "slut" x2, creep manager) and becomes a flood of pain and tears during the titular scene and the reach around the pillar. Riveting and heartbreaking with its subtle script, intimate cinematography, delicate soundtrack, quietly powerful performances, and absence of a happy or climactic ending. Fuck the patriarchy and fuck any male defensiveness taking the place of empathy in reaction to this film.

A film absolutely powerful in its intimacy. Natural performances and lighting and a soft touch behind the lens give its all-too-real content an almost documentarian quality that simply aches in its subtleties. The touch around the pillar, the shared suitcase on the escalator, the makeup in the bathroom - these quiet scenes and tiny moments overwhelm the heart while the titular scene midway through utterly rends it. Also, this film is *not about men*, so quit complaining.

Themes and events in this movie will resonate personally with a lot of viewers. For me, there are a few minor annoyances that keep me from liking this as much as I could, which is a shame because some scenes in this are rather good, especially the titular scene that many have pointed out. They *almost* had a redeemable male character in there; so close, yet so far. I guess I'll settle for the bus driver. This has relevant things to say; I just wish it didn't always choose caricature to say them.

Not quite the Dardenne's feminine drama some painted, but pretty solid in its own terms. This is of course a world of pain for women, and hideous men are all over -- dad, boss, dude they meet on the road, pervert on the NYC sub --, but this plays as sharp as a knife, more interested in scary, brave eyes facing big decisions -- go to NY, have an abortion, hide it from mom, who also struggles with a lot (drunk husband, other kids) -- than straightforward, talky teen drama. Flanigan is a blast.

Dry, grim, sterile watch | Feels more quasi-mentary than cinema: Shaky closeup, bare camera. Noises LOUD & no music: Willfully ‘real' to point of artifice! (The Office minus jokes) | V valid agenda but didn't need ONLY it, ground in face for 2hrs | (BTW, as a man: Is that how U see us ALL? | Still, U cannot deny the acting (esp in Manhattan interview) - Title is awkward yet smart || Least cinematic film I've seen - would actually suffer from the big screen