This quietly devastating movie about a 17-year-old girl seeking an abortion is one of the best movies of the year and a must-see during this time when women’s reproductive rights are (once again) being threatened.
Amber (Sidney Flanagan), moody and rarely smiling, is more real than the characters that usually populate movies about teenage girls. In fact, she’s so real, you’ll have to remind yourself this is not a documentary.
When she finds out she’s pregnant, her desperation is palpable although she often remains expressionless. She makes an appointment at a local clinic, where she learns that she can’t have an abortion in Pennsylvania without her parents’ consent. We know that this will be impossible from the few scenes in which she interacts with her distracted mother and creepy stepfather.
Following horrible advice she finds on the internet, she tries to terminate the pregnancy on her own – like countless women before her. When none of these suggestions work, she decides to get on a bus to New York.
Accompanied by her loyal and slightly more street savvy cousin, Skylar (Talia Ryder), Amber embarks on what could very well be considered a hero’s journey.
And, like any journey that must end in victory, there are many, many obstacles along the way, all of which seem insurmountable at the time. Thanks to gorgeous performances (how can this be Sidney Flanagan’s movie debut???!) and what should be taught as a master class in filmmaking by writer/director Eliza Hittman, we become deeply invested passengers on this journey, disheartened and frantic every time Amber is thwarted by another, often ridiculous, hurdle.
Because failure is not an option, Amber rises to every challenge, only letting us see the emotional toll all of this has taken on her during a powerhouse of a scene at Planned Parenthood. (And let me take this opportunity to say thank God for Planned Parenthood.)
As she answers a counselor’s questions using only the four words of the film’s title, her story is brilliantly told – and gut-wrenching.
Although it matter-of-factly shows that women will seek abortions no matter how restricted their access is, what makes this movie so powerful is the fact that it never preaches. It presents the facts and lets viewers make their own decisions. The government should do the same.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always can be watched On Demand starting today. Check the movie website for details.
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