pedromeskita Review of Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)

Slow, emotional, rigged

[4/10 · 19 July 2021]

This movie gives the illusion that the two sides of a complex situation are taken into account, with Autumn, the main character, taking a firm, reasoned decision about her life and her body, while the rest of the world is just there to support her, whatever the decision is. Did I say the rest of the world? Well for a start we never know who the father is, we just have some clues that he is probably a selfish, abusive boy that forced her into pregnancy and then discarded her. We also have some hints that her father doesn't care about her too. But what about her mother? We don't understand why Autumn never talks to her about her problem. As far as the movie tells, the mother is understanding, caring and supportive. Was she just portrayed this way so that no female character is demonized (and all the blame can fall into the men involved)? We never know. Then we have this boy they met on the bus who leads the cousin into (shame!) illegal drinking (she's 20) and then "forces" her to kissing and possibly something else if not for Autumn who was there to rescue her. What was the purpose of this? Was this to show how selfish the cousin was in taking Autumn out while she was in considerate pain and discomfort? Or was this to support the narrative that "men only want one thing and it's disgusting"? After kissing the cousin, the boy gets some cash from the ATM and pays for their train, suggesting that he was "used" for the money. Everyone in the abortion clinic seem very nice and empathetic, but i still struggled to understand why the family was never brought into discussion. Even the questionnaire from which the movie borrows its name doesn't ask questions about the family.

I think this movie is not bad, hence the 4 stars. It is emotionally engaging, the acting is allright and the cinematography is good. However, it fails in its claim of addressing a complicate issue in a fair way.