Fortuitous Women; Review of 'Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always'
Being a young woman in today’s society, I am unfortunate. Unfortunate because I am used to being seen as an object to men for sexual pleasure. I am used to being catcalled and whistled at, just like my mother, my grandmother. However, being a young woman in today’s society I could also argue I am overwhelmingly fortunate, more-so than my mother, my grandmother. Fortunate because I am lucky enough to live in a world where there are people who no longer deny the real thing that is sexual objectification and assault, and its consequences, and instead recognizing it, spreading awareness about it, and aiming to make a societal change for the better.
The movie I saw today perfectly exemplified the positive result of a conversation that has been initiated by powerful women for generations. Today’s movie gave me insight into the life of a teenage girl, the same age as me, same height, same hair color. Yet, she had a completely different story from mine. What was most fascinating to me about the “dramatic narrative” of Autumn, was how quiet it was and yet, still, powerful.
Quiet in many senses. Literally, in the sense that the dialogue was conservative to say the least. The director/writer, Eliza Hittman said the silence of the film was a style choice in order to keep the story real and not “kill the drama”. The film also only whispered the context of the characters leaving the audience guessing about the most integral parts of “Autumn’s” life. In fact, the father of “Autumn’s” unborn child was never disclosed. Hittman says she wanted to give such a vague backstory for a simple reason, “my goal was to give you a snapshot of a young woman’s life.” Which she did, triumphantly. The looseness of the story left the viewer to decide. I feel this choice made the film even more personal and raw than it already was. The film was also emotionally muted. The audience was left guessing and assuming the feelings of the main character, waiting for an emotional break and never receiving one. However, the viewer is still capable of feeling the rawness of a young woman going through one of the most difficult and, unfortunately, stigmatized things a young woman can go through - the termination of a pregnancy.
This piece was a work of art and the perfect example of what true storytelling should look like. Essentially, the piece is a critical social commentary on the current political climate that leaves young women, much like Autumn, in fear of losing the basic healthcare that all female-bodied people deserve. The narrative is a crucial one as it is an increasingly common, making the viewer contemplate the question: Who could be so cruel as to take away the right of choice?
