FYC: Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Saturday, February 20, 2021 at 5:14PM by Nick Taylor
Never Rarely Sometimes Always is the 2020 film I've watched the most times this past year. The story of a 17-year-old girl fleeing her small town for several days to get an abortion in the city is perhaps not the kind of tale that one expects to dive into over and over again. But few films have gripped me quite like this one has. Of all the American films contending for an Oscar nomination, this and First Cow are by far the two I most want to see recognized somewhere, anywhere, everywhere. It’s always rough when the televised awards start culling from critics prize winners for their own lineups, and even harder when the whole goddamn process is strung out for two extra months. Will key nominations from the exclusive, rigorously discerning Critics Choice Association help kick it back into the conversation? Or did writer/director Eliza Hittman missing at WGA signal the end of the road? Maybe the Indie Spirits will be the last time we see this crew up for an award, but until proven otherwise, here’s my pitch on behalf of this marvelous film in any and all categories available to it.
There’s nowhere to start like the beginning, which in this case is the most internally idiosyncratic scene of the film. Never Rarely Sometimes Always begins with a talent show of sorts, as student dress up in ‘50s Teen Outfits and sing & dance to Elvis...