Eliza Hittman
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Juno (2007)
Directed by Jason Reitman
influenced Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)
Themes Dialogue Characters Plot
When they haven’t, Alexander Payne’s 1996 comedy “Citizen Ruth” engaged in centrist both-sidesism regarding the debate around it, while “Juno” romanticized teenage pregnancy as though rejecting the choice of abortion went along with a hip fondness for indie rock and Dario Argento films.
Viewers used to the seriocomic approach to the abortion flick (Obvious Child and Juno are probably the best examples of modern mainstream movies on the subject) may find Never Rarely Sometimes Always a startlingly somber and even oppressive affair, the film from Hittman shying away from any flirtation with taking the matter any less than extremely seriously at any given intersection.
In the years since Juno offered a light-hearted but even-handed take on the subject of unwanted teen pregnancy, the discourse around reproductive rights in America has, if anything, grown more polarised.
Hittman’s vision for the movie is worlds away from the verbal dynamics that light up Diablo Cody’s Juno (2007) .
Imagine if Autumn were to have a moment, like Diablo Cody’s Juno, to discuss her options with a friend, to pronounce upon the unfairness of her situation, or to commiserate.
The drama’s opening might initially welcome comparisons to Jason Rietman’s Juno (2007) or Nia DaCosta’s Little Woods (2018); however, Eliza Hittman’s perilous film is its own animal.
Good One (2024)
Directed by India Donaldson
influenced by Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)
Characters
Her probing eyes and wry smile evoke a young Winona Ryder, while hiding swells of internal pain and betrayal like Sidney Flanigan in Never Rarely Sometimes Always. Every gesture, every line carries immense psychological weight behind it, selling the journey of a girl realizing that there’s little safety or reward for just going with the flow. Few actors command so much interest while outwardly doing so little, and that’s a testament to Collias’ interiority and Donaldson’s clear command of actors.
Obvious Child (2014)
Directed by Gillian Robespierre
influenced Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)
Themes Plot
Viewers used to the seriocomic approach to the abortion flick (Obvious Child and Juno are probably the best examples of modern mainstream movies on the subject) may find Never Rarely Sometimes Always a startlingly somber and even oppressive affair, the film from Hittman shying away from any flirtation with taking the matter any less than extremely seriously at any given intersection.
Autumn’s also poorer than either Ellen Page’s pregnant teen or Jenny Slate’s young adult character in Obvious Child, an abortion-themed movie from 2014.
The most prominent abortion-related feature films have been stridently pro-life polemics like Gosnell and Unplanned, as well as the comedy Obvious Child, which grew out of the question of "What if we made Knocked Up, except she didn't have the baby?"
Leave No Trace (2018)
Directed by Debra Granik
influenced Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)
Characters
Put her alongside Jennifer Lawrence ( Winter’s Bone ), Thomasin McKenzie ( Leave No Trace ), and Elsie Fisher ( Eighth Grade ) as fresh-faced actresses who have made the most out of a first starring role.
Throughout, Flanigan’s impenetrable gaze offers parallels to Thomasin McKenzie’s adventurous turn in Leave No Trace (2018).
With the film’s most intense sequences usually captured at night — in the dark of Frank’s basement or on the moon-lit, desolate beaches of Brooklyn — Beach Rats often evokes the shadowy terror of Bastards, from the aforementioned Denis.
Indie films like Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” and Venice winner “Happening” have also struck a chord with audiences, humanizing this essential surgery because, for so long, Hollywood and Americans as a whole have turned away from seeing specifics behind the necessity of abortion rights onscreen.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Directed by Céline Sciamma
influenced Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)
Themes
Like two other recent films by female directors – Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Kitty Green’s The Assistant – the picture addresses male abuses of power without ceding the dramatic focus to the aggressors themselves and reinforcing their supremacy all over again.