Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)

A pair of teenage girls in rural Pennsylvania travel to New York City to seek out medical help after an unintended pregnancy. (Letterboxd)

The oppressive environment weighs so heavy here: the stream of normalized wounds is endless (see “slut” x2, creep manager) and becomes a flood of pain and tears during the titular scene and the reach around the pillar. Riveting and heartbreaking with its subtle script, intimate cinematography, delicate soundtrack, quietly powerful performances, and absence of a happy or climactic ending. Fuck the patriarchy and fuck any male defensiveness taking the place of empathy in reaction to this film.

9/10 (Amazing)