Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Never Rarely Sometimes Always, the new film written and directed by Eliza Hittman, her third movie, feels sort of like the anti-Juno. I didn't not like Juno, the 2007 comedy with slightly similar story, but it's fair to say Juno might not have been as concerned or grounded in reality as Never Rarely Sometimes Always is. Juno was a pleasant teen romance comedy; there is nothing whimsical in Never Rarely Sometimes Always, a film that can be quite difficult to watch a times.

Sidney Flanigan plays a 17-year-old named Autumn. She's a bit reserved but musically talented, living in rural Pennsylvania. She's in every scene in the film, and in the first, she is playing the guitar and singing a song, presumably at her high school's talent show. She is interrupted by a male teenager you calls her a slut. No one reprimands him or comes to her defense, and the others' silence is deafening, as they say. Autumn is fazed, but she continues her song. Characters who are determined and resilient do not have to be featured only in superhero films.

Things are not going well for Autumn. Her father describes her as "always in a foul mood." Suspecting that she is pregnant, one day Autumn goes to a clinic before school to take a pregnancy test. The test confirms that she is pregnant; ten weeks, she is told. She asks if it's possible if the test could be wrong. "A positive is always positive," the doctor tells her.

She wants an abortion but is shown an anti-abortion video and given a pamphlet. The doctor mentions to her that she could consider giving the baby to a family for adoption. After failing to terminate the pregnancy on her own and receiving no assistance from the clinic, she eventually reveals the truth to her cousin, Skylar (played by Talia Ryder). They gather some money and catch a bus to New York City, a city in which they've never been and where they don't know anyone. It's not as complicated getting to the clinic for the procedure as it could be, but there are numerous complications along the way. Hittman has described the story as following a hero's journey structure.

The most obvious use of this form is what Joseph Campbell called "Road of Trials". Viewers likely will get the impression that Autumn and Skylar have never taken the bus to New York and probably have never even been to New York. They both pack their things into a gigantic suitcase that they have to lug around the fast-moving city, and yet they never have a place to change their clothes. They have plenty of time, though. For different reasons, Autumn's appointment has to keep being delayed. All of these trials are where we seen the finest acting from Flanigan and Ryder, both of whom make their film debut and whose performances are exceptional.

Some might argue that this is a very political film. I don't see it that way. While Never Rarely Sometimes Always revolves around a subject that has been heatedly debated for decades and remains at the forefront of the culture wars, the film is not so concerned with ideology. True, it does take a side, and its hope is that audiences who might be less likely to consider the position women sometimes unexpectedly find themselves in with unplanned pregnancies would be more understanding. However, it would be difficult to argue that this film is not fair and realistic, and it certainly demonstrates Hittman and her cast and crew's talent at procuring empathy from their audience.

Various scenes, one after the other, prove this. Whether it's painful moments in which you will possibly turn your ahead away from the screen or thought-provoking subtleties that are not essential to the plot but that the film doesn't seem to mind if you ponder, Hittman is worthy of much praise. For example, one major point is left very ambiguous. If an answer had been given, it might have shifted audience members' understanding of the point of the film; a weaker filmmaker might not have recognized how important it was to instill the film with this enigma. Hittman and her team handle these delicate subjects about as tactful as filmmakers can. You owe it to yourself to see it.