Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Starring: Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder, Theodore Pellerin, Ryan Eggold, Sharon Van Etten
Directed by: Eliza Hittman
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2020

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two teenage girls (Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder) travel alone to New York City to seek an abortion after one of them becomes pregnant.

Review:

Tim: Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a challenging, difficult film. It's one of those movies where I really had to do some reflection with, to try and assess how I felt about it and what I thought about it. Eliza Hittman deserves credit for crafting a film that isn't easy to shake off or dismiss. I will admit that I expected more after seeing the 99% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes (the audience score was much lower). I didn't think it would be that universally positive. It's a good movie, absolutely- it's well made, delivers a timely message, and increases our empathy of young women faced with a monumentally challenging decision. As good as it was, though, it felt miles away from being great.

The film definitely feels small and gives you those independent vibes from start to finish. I was fine with this, as it adds to the authenticity and realism of Hittman's story. I was less enthused by the slow, plodding plot. The movie is only 1 hour and 41 minutes, but I was bored throughout long stretches of it. The story and the characters don't have quite the depth needed to carry the movie as is. Hittman fills her film with long silence, letting the camera capture her subjects, even if they aren't saying or doing anything interesting. This makes the film feel real, but real life is often quite dull. I wish the pacing was better throughout the entire film. Hittman seems to just be taking her time when she needed a bit more urgency. As is, it's easy to feel disconnected from the characters and plot. You could space out for 15 minutes, look up, and realize you've missed almost nothing. The movie has some powerful moments, but isn't very compelling from scene to scene.

That doesn't sound very positive, and yet, I think this is a good movie. Why is that? The slow plot recovers somewhat because of these incredibly powerful scenes we get from time-to-time throughout the film. The "Never rarely sometimes always" questionnaire scene is one of the finest sequences I've seen in recent years. It's a perfect scene- overflowing with emotion, heartbreaking, visceral and unforgettable. That scene alone made me glad I watched the film, allowed me to feel more accepting of the boredom I experienced throughout the rest of the film. There's several mostly quiet conversations the two cousins have together that are simply incredible, too. This is a movie that doesn't do everything right, but Hittman is able to craft some truly beautiful, memorable moments. They make the film worth seeing.

Sidney Flanigan is really good in the lead role. The film spends a lot of time just looking at her, so much of the movie she just needs to be stoic more than anything. That might not be all that impressive, but she does get moments where she's able to show real emotion and she bares the depths of this character's soul. Those moments are truly impressive. She gives overall an effective performance and I doubt this is the last time we'll see her. Talia Ryder was incredibly important to the film, too. Flanigan's character is weighed down by her decision- there's not much light there. Ryder brings some levity and energy to the film that are desperately needed. She and Flanigan work well together and felt believable as cousins- close, but not as close as sisters would be. The movie really is centered around these two. The supporting cast is effective- Theodore Pellerin definitely made me feel somewhat uncomfortable, but this movie is all about these two women. I did think that was interesting- how all the male characters were depicted in this film.

So, in the end, I appreciated Never Rarely Sometimes Always and I would consider it a good movie. I'm surprised critics almost universally loved it, but I get why they would be positive about it. I agree it's a good film, it's just not as powerful or well-made as it could have been. It's not even close to my top 10 movies of 2020, and that was a year (with covid) where strong films were few and far between. Still, this movie is worth seeing- you won't soon forget it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days; Portrait of a Lady on Fire