Never Rarely Sometimes Always
— I grew up in the era of stories about unmarried women whose lives were forever ruined because of their sin, after which came a group of films about traumatized women and back alley abortions, followed by those dealing with the difficult but individual choice post-Roe v Wade. It’s hard not to view “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” against that backdrop, but it’s not exactly fair to call it an abortion tale either. Autumn is a 17-year-old living a pretty nondescript life. She works as a checker at a grocery store, is a singer of emotive, folksy songs, and has a kind mother, a brusque stepfather, and few close friends other than her cousin. She finds herself pregnant and at the mercy of Pennsylvania's parental consent law, so she and her cousin head to New York City by bus to have an abortion. It has the setup to fall into gloominess, and it does have an arthouse look and minimal dialog, sometimes feeling more like a documentary than a work of fiction as the story unfolds. It ends up being as a road trip film and a coming-of-age film—and a very good one. It seems appropriate given the political climate, coming at a time when the nation and the Supreme Court adopt a more conservative slant and the same story could be much different in the future. Just as important is the tone of male aggression and misogyny pervasive in nearly every encounter Autumn and her cousin have. I’m not one for in-your-face, vaguely militant, assertive, filmic rants and this is definitely not that kind of film. Instead, it’s an observational journey. It feels soft instead of screaming at you and it offers a perspective not all of us experience. It’s a profoundly good film.
[HBO Max streaming.]
