Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)

A pair of teenage girls in rural Pennsylvania travel to New York City to seek out medical help after an unintended pregnancy. (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Eliza Hittman
Written By: Eliza Hittman
Starring: Ryan Eggold, Théodore Pellerin, Mia Dillon, Brian Altemus, Sharon Van Etten, Talia Ryder, Lizbeth MacKay, Aurora Richards, Rose Elizabeth Richards, Sidney Flanigan, Drew Seltzer, Kim Rios Lin
Genre: Drama
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Never Rarely Sometimes Always belongs to 7 collections
1. Female Directors (collaborative: moderated by djross - 90 stars)
2. Best by different standards (public: sesito71 - 6 stars)
3. Abortion (collaborative: moderated by mpowell - 3 stars)
4. New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (collaborative: moderated by CCLZA)
5. Dämon 2020 (public: caffe)
6. The AV Club's 25 Best Films of 2020 (public: TychoCelchuu)
7. Misty Bisty (public: Russ Bedford)
Browse the full list of collections
Stars | User | Rating | |
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WWallce4prez | 78 66th |
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.
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Hofschneider | 92 94th |
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.
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schnofel | 63 57th |
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?
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bof | 84 91st |
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.
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KasperL | 80 86th |
A great slow-burning indie drama. The two obvious highlights are the infuriating early scene in which Autumn is given questionable advice from a well-meaning lady and the chilling session in which she is asked a series of questions. Sidney Flanigan knocks the latter out of the park but Talia Ryder is also terrific as the cousin. My only small gripe is that the sex as a commodity theme is hammered home in the somewhat unnecessary pinky solidarity scene.
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TheRealJ-Ro | 65 31st |
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.
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moraesfelipe | 75 80th |
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.
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joel-w-m | 10 97th |
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.
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Corbad | 90 96th |
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.
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Mist600 | 55 16th |
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
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Moribunny | 68 70th |
Restrained considering the subject, and narrowly escapes the shadow of Cristian Mungiu. It's no masterpiece - having but one truly great scene - but otherwise it's a fine American indie with very few missteps, portraying the real life of young women in the U.S.
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Obdurate | 45 11th |
I don't absolutely hate it and I think that there are some good parts--namely when she's talking to the counselor the part that the movie is named after--but I have more issues. It was a little tedious and lacked oomph a lot of the time; the girls never built a good enough relationship to be engaging. Lost interest many times but still appreciate how unwavering it is in what it wants to explore. Problematic feminist issues are present; not offended, it was just awfully simplistic.
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psim | 80 74th |
A sobering portrayal of the lengths that a young woman must go to in order to exert even a tiny amount of control over her own life. It reminded me of the great 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, but with the added horror of taking place now (and in a supposedly progressive country).
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DavidBlast | 90 92nd |
The sister companion to ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days’ takes a grim look at abortion in America. Thanks to the towering performances of Flanigan and Ryder, the result is heartbreaking, without resolution, almost tragically anecdotal. So nearly a masterpiece, the story is dented by misandrist undercurrents, flowing throughout the film. Men serve only to assault women verbally and physically. Hittman may have had bad experiences with men, but sexism is a door that swings both ways.
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FoxyRussian | 95 90th |
A quiet touching movie. The scene the title comes from is easily my favorite scene of the year and of recent memory. It's hard to not be touched and feel what the characters are feeling in the moment. Being scared at strangers, fearful of who to trust in the abortion process, not knowing where they'll sleep. It's crazy the power of "Show Don't Tell" and how much this movie succeeds at using it.
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1 | sprfede | 45 17th |
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I like the concept, the acting and there are a few great scenes, but overall the film is extremely one-dimensioned, and has a lot of dead time. Not gonna blame it entirely on the editing, but the cutting did seem to lack purpose and stay overly long on irrelevant shots. Seemed a little indulgent a project.
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Average Percentile 60.9% from 547 Ratings | ![]() |