Happening

This movie is about a woman, Annie, who wants to terminate a life but is first not allowed to be a righteous hero of a doctor so the rest of the movie is basically this woman trying to commit murder without going to jail. Back when there was morals in society murder was not allowed, so this movie is trying to sell us the notion that of course you should be able to terminate a life whenever you want. It should be legal and carry no penalty to snuff out a person, even if you do it in the most grotesque and vile way. To this movie's credit it does show the grotesque murders taking place, so for those of us with heart we can cry and feel ashamed on behalf of humanity. The movie tries very hard to make us feel sympathy for the murderer, but the acting and directing is simply not good enough. The sound design is also subpar, and the script is simply laughable. This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen, and definitely one of the most immoral. A very generous 2/10, and this is a movie you should only watch if you have the stomach for it and you are willing to sit through a movie trying to get you to cheer for a badly acted character with no scruples.

As "Happening" (2021 release from France; 100 min.) opens, it's some time in the early 1960s in France, and we are introduced to several young women, students at the local university, who are getting ready to go out on the town. One of them is Annie (or Anne). Then later, Annie goes to see a doctor as her period is late. The doctor informs her that she is pregnant, to Annie's shock. She asks the doctor "to do something" but he flat-out refuses, as abortion is illegal and carries a penalty in jail... At this point we are 10 minutes into the movie. Couple of comments: this is the latest from French-Lebanese writer-director Audrey Diwan ("Losing It"). Here she brings the real life tale of what happens to a young woman in her early 20s who gets pregnant in a time and space where abortion is entirely illegal without any exceptions (France in the early 60s). Watch how Annie gets no support, zero, from anyone around her including doctors, family and friends, and even her lover. Watch how increasingly desperate Annie becomes as the weeks pass. Please note that some scenes are very difficult to watch. The US premiere of this film came at the 2022 Sundance film festival, just over a year ago, and mere months before the US Supreme Court overruled Re v. Wade, with the GOP subsequently enacting strict anti-abortion laws in multiple states. For shame. Do you want to go back more than half a century to the times when men in power decided that "this isn't a woman's issue"? Welcome to the GOP of 2022! As a complete aside, this film is based on the book of the same name by acclaimed French author Annie Ernaux (born Duchesne), who just last year won the Nobel Prize in Literature. "Happening" is currently rated 99% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and for good reason. It is a gut-wrenching abortion drama, now more relevant issue than ever. I had been clamoring to see this film, and finally it started streaming on Hulu just yesterday. I watched it right away. If you are in the mood for a top-notch if devastating abortion drama, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Like it's lead character, Anne (Anamaria Vartolomei), Director Audrey Diwan's HAPPENING is direct, strong and decisive. Anne is a very promising literature student who finds herself pregnant after a fling with a visiting student. The place is France in the early 60s when having a procedure to abort a baby is strictly illegal. Her closest friends and doctor want nothing to do with her plans - especially, her doctor, who's very counsel could land him in jail. Diwan's adaptation of Annie Ernaux's novel feels immediate, adopting an almost you are there approach (the script was co-written by Diwan and a trio of other writers). While it's certainly not a documentary construct, it's very much a drama, but it feels real. Laurent Tangy's hand-held camera is like an intimate partner to Diwan's vision. The active tense title is very much on point here (the French title also translates into "The Event"). Vartolomei is quite excellent. She is often the only character on screen and her performance never seems studied, simply inhabited. The others in the cast are always believable even if they don't have time to really develop. Anna Mouglalis is particularly memorable as the blunt Mme. Riviere, and legendary European actress Sandrinne Bonnaire is on hand as Anne's mother. HAPPENING gets quite explicit at times, but never feels in the least exploitative. The screenplay is also admirable in that it never preaches. Diwan follows her character on her own terms all the way through. It's a difficult movie, but a very worthy one.

With over one thousand reviews on IMDB, this may be the most difficult one I will ever write. The timing is impeccable, as here in America, the landmark Roe vs Wade decision has turned the nation into a state by state battleground regarding the freedom to choose whether or not to have an abortion. As a pro choice Catholic, I am in disagreement with the views of my church. The film portrays a young woman in a France of the 1960s, when abortion was illegal. Some of the scenes are quite graphic and disturbing. The lead actress is outstanding and the story compelling. I am sure that Happening will receive an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign movie.

A controversial topic. Dealt with the perspective of a woman. Good acting. Personally I would have only made it more graphic with respect to bloody towels and blood. But that would change its rating. So apart from that good buildup, but lacks in middle. Maybe a bigger meltdown was to be shown. The embrace with her mother just was too much to handle for me. Music tones dropping at places to corelate with the plot, was interesting and rightly done, so that was nice. I would suggest it only if you try to watch it with an open mind. On controversial topics, whether you agree or not, is a different question. Atleast you should see the point. You dont have to agree. You can give your points. The reason for cinema is to start a dialogue or ask yourself questions. Good viewing.

The stylistic resources (long shots and constant close up) are well executed but don't match the general tone of the story. The pace is extremely slow and the film is filled with unnecessary scenes. It does very good in many aspects (directing, cinematography, sound design) but isn't a good movie overall.

Saw this back at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival Based on a novel by Annie Ernaux,, the topic of abortion is already becoming a very controversial subject in the past many years. There are many debates about whether abortion is right or wrong. Audrey Diwan takes this serious subject matter and creates a uneasy, intense, but realistic approach about this topic through the lens of an interesting character portrayed by Anamaria Vartolomei who gives an amazing stellar performance throughout this movie. This movie isn't an easy watch because of the brutal nature of what the character is going through and especially a really disturbing third act that made me feel uneasy and quite uncomfortable while watching it. Throughout there are some beautiful camerawork with the 1:33:1 aspect ratio perfectly capturing the 1970s in France, some beautiful production and costume designs, and really good soundtrack. Although, the setting at times didn't feel like the 70s because the movie didn't explore it's time period well enough as it should have which was one of the flaws I had with this movie. As I have to say it again, Anamaria Vartolomei sells throughout this movie with her realistic performance on portraying a character who is lost, somewhat arrogant but also finding a way to solve her issue. Even if it risks her own sanity. Character study films are really interesting as it provides an guide to understand how the human life works throughout many lens. It's often not easy to be really engage with a character but if the writing is great, the character is great. Some problems I have with the movie are that some of the dialogue felt a little clunky as it didn't feel like it fits in the 1970s time period and some of the supporting characters felt like they had nothing to do with the movie. Almost as if they could have just been removed from the final cut honestly. Overall, this was a really good adaptation from director Audrey Diwan and I really look forward to seeing more films from here. I believe there's a great potential of French female filmmakers coming soon in the near decade. Rating: B+

This is an excellent story of a young woman's desperate and harrowing search for a way to end a pregnancy that threatens to derail her life. It is hard to imagine that only 80 years ago, an advanced Western democracy would so obstruct a woman's right to control her own destiny. Aren't we lucky that those days are gone forever? (Oops, guess what?) I highly recommend this film.

This was really a perfect time for me to watch this film. The intensity and desperation conveyed in the film speaks for itself. I had no idea what the plot of this was about, just saw it advertised on an indie theater and bought tickets. Turns out it is a topical showing of a film about the struggles that this woman had to go through when abortion was illegal in France. Somebody needs to show this to the backwards Supreme Court justices that want to overturn Roe v Wade. I'm glad I saw this film. I have no idea if I'll ever get another chance to watch it but it was absolutely worth the watch.

As harrowing as this film is, it is so important that it was made. It reminds us how hard won our victories around abortion on demand are. Thank good ness I did not have to go through such horrors 30 years later! Thank you for making this timely, valuable piece of film.