Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a 2020 American-British drama film written and directed by Eliza Hittman. It stars Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin, Ryan Eggold and Sharon Van Etten. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2020. It was also selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize.[3][4][5]

Not to be confused with Sometimes Always Never.

Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Theatrical release poster
Directed byEliza Hittman
Produced by
Written byEliza Hittman
Starring
Music byJulia Holter
CinematographyHélène Louvart
Edited byScott Cummings
Production
companies
Distributed byFocus Features
Release date
  • January 24, 2020 (2020-01-24) (Sundance)
  • March 13, 2020 (2020-03-13) (United States)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited States
United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$88,716[1][2]

The film was released in the United States on March 13, 2020, by Focus Features.

Plot

17-year-old Autumn Callahan suspects she is pregnant and goes to a crisis pregnancy center. At the center, she takes a drug store test that confirms that she is 10 weeks pregnant. Though she immediately wants to terminate the pregnancy, she is given literature on adoption and is shown an anti-abortion video.

After realizing that she is unable to get an abortion in Pennsylvania without parental consent, she tries to induce a miscarriage by swallowing pills and punching herself in the stomach. When those methods fail, she confides in her cousin, Skylar, that she is pregnant. Skylar steals cash from the grocery store where they work, and the two buy tickets to New York City.

On the bus they meet Jasper, a young man who is persistently interested in Skylar even though she tries to blow him off.

At the Planned Parenthood clinic, Autumn learns that the crisis pregnancy center lied to her about how far along she was and that she is actually 18 weeks pregnant. Though she is still able to get an abortion, she must go to a secondary clinic the following morning in order to have the abortion performed.

Autumn and Skylar spend an uncomfortable night riding the subway and playing games at an arcade. The following morning at the clinic, Autumn learns that a second-trimester abortion is a two-day procedure and that paying for the abortion will wipe out most of her funds. The counselor also asks her a series of questions about her sexual partners, which reveal that Autumn's partners have been physically and sexually abusive.

Out of money, Skylar realizes the two have no way of going home. As Autumn refuses to let Skylar call either of their mothers, Skylar reaches out to Jasper, who takes them bowling and to karaoke. At the end of the night, Skylar asks Jasper to loan them the money for their bus tickets, which he agrees to. Skylar leaves with Jasper to find an ATM, and Autumn later goes looking for them. She finds them kissing behind a column. Realizing Skylar doesn't like it, Autumn grabs Skylar's hand from behind the column to comfort her.

In the morning, Autumn goes to her appointment and has the abortion. Autumn and Skylar go to a restaurant, where Skylar asks her questions about the procedure, but Autumn remains vague. The two ride a bus back to Pennsylvania.

Cast

Production

In April 2019, it was announced Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin, Ryan Eggold and Sharon Van Etten had joined the cast of the film, with Eliza Hittman directing from a screenplay she wrote. Adele Romanski and Sara Murphy will produce the film under their Pastel Productions banner, while Rose Garnett, Tim Headington, Elika Portnoy and Alex Orlovsky will executive produce the film under their BBC Films and Tango Entertainment banners respectively. Focus Features will distribute.[6]

Principal photography began in February 2019.[7]

Release

It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2020.[8] It was released in the United States on March 13, 2020.[9] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was released on video on demand on April 3, 2020.[10] Focus debated re-releasing the film theatrically but was concerned about competition once theaters re-opened.[11] It was released through video on demand in the United Kingdom on May 13, 2020, after being initially planned for a theatrical release.[12]

Reception

In theaters, Never Rarely Sometimes Always grossed $16,565.[13]

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 99% based on 157 reviews, and an average rating of 8.57/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Powerfully acted and directed, Never Rarely Sometimes Always reaffirms writer-director Eliza Hittman as a filmmaker of uncommon sensitivity and grace."[14] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 92 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[15]

Accolades

Never Rarely Sometimes Always competed at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival for the U.S. Dramatic Competition Grand Jury Prize, where it won a Special Jury Award for Neo-Realism.[16] The film was also selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival and won Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, the second most prestigious prize at the festival.[17]

References
  1. "Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)". The Numbers. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  2. "Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  3. "The 70th Berlinale Competition and Further Films to Complete the Berlinale Special". Berlinale. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  4. Dams, Tim (January 29, 2020). "Berlin Competition Lineup Revealed: Sally Potter, Kelly Reichardt, Eliza Hittman, Abel Ferrara". Variety. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  5. Motamayor, Rafael (February 29, 2020). "'There Is No Evil', 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always' Win Big At The Berlin Film Festival". The Playlist. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  6. Wiseman, Andreas (April 15, 2019). "Focus Features, 'Moonlight' Outfit Pastel & BBC Films Team For Eliza Hittman Drama 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  7. "Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always". Backstage.com. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  8. Siegel, Tatiana (December 4, 2019). "Sundance Unveils Female-Powered Lineup Featuring Taylor Swift, Gloria Steinem, Abortion Road Trip Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  9. Obenson, Tambay (January 31, 2020). "'Never Rarely Sometimes Always': Eliza Hittman Was Inspired by the Flaws of '4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days'". IndieWire. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  10. Thompson, Anne (March 27, 2020). "Focus Features Sends 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always' Straight to Premium on Demand — Exclusive". IndieWire. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  11. Asch, Mark (March 20, 2020). "Reaching Out: Eliza Hittman, Filmmaker". Film Comment. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  12. Rosser, Michael (April 17, 2020). "Universal, Focus set UK digital release for 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always'". Screen International. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  13. "Box Office Mojo".
  14. "Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  15. "Never Rarely Sometimes Always Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  16. Hipes, Patrick (February 1, 2020). "Sundance Film Festival Awards: 'Minari' Scores Double Top Honors – The Complete Winners List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  17. "The Awards of the 70th Berlin International Film Festival" (PDF). Berlinale. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
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