---
title: "Happening"
year: 2021
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/happening"
fi1m_id: "happening"
imdb_id: "tt13880104"
tmdb_id: 793998
wikidata_id: "Q107675028"
fi1m_score: 86
critics_score: 81
critics_reviews: 23
published: "2026-10-03T04:12:42.937545+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-03T04:12:43.407226+00:00"
region: "BE"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Happening (2021)

Directed by Audrey Diwan · 1h 39m · Drama

## Identity

Happening

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/happening
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** happening
- **IMDb ID:** tt13880104
- **TMDB ID:** 793998
- **Wikidata ID:** Q107675028
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13880104/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/793998, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107675028

**Fi1m score: 86** · Critics 81 from 23 reviews

*In a sentence:* We have seen crime thrillers less frightening than this student’s search for medical help

> Audrey Diwan’s abortion drama is frightening, compassionate and worth the difficult watch, led by Anamaria Vartolomei’s controlled performance. Its narrow focus occasionally leaves too little room for Anne beyond her ordeal.

## Synopsis

Anne Duchesne (Anamaria Vartolomei) is a student in 1960s France, pregnant and seeking an abortion in a country where it is illegal. She wants control over her future, but finding help exposes her to the possibility of prison as well as physical danger. Around her are Jean (Kacey Mottet-Klein) and Hélène (Luàna Bajrami), yet Anne faces the burden of the pregnancy alone. Her search for someone willing to help grows increasingly desperate as she tries to protect her health and her future.

## Review

Adapted by Audrey Diwan and Marcia Romano from Annie Ernaux’s book, *Happening* follows a student seeking an abortion in 1960s France, where it is illegal. It is a forceful, compassionate drama that we recommend, provided its physical distress is something you feel able to face. The director stays close to Anne Duchesne because each obstacle affects her directly: her health and the life she hopes to have. The film asks us to take that future as seriously as she does.

Anamaria Vartolomei gives Anne a guarded expression and searching eyes, letting fear show without making fear her only characteristic. There is determination here, and the effort of maintaining it when an answer matters so much. We were frightened for her when her face stayed composed and her eyes betrayed how alone she felt. The performance makes those small changes readable without turning them into appeals for sympathy. Anne remains someone trying to get something done, even when we want her to be allowed to stop.

Laurent Tangy’s close framing makes it difficult to look away from that effort. There is little opportunity to escape into the surroundings, and the long takes mean we cannot rely on a cut arriving when a moment becomes uncomfortable. Géraldine Mangenot’s editing preserves that duration rather than hurrying us towards the next development. We feel the time Anne spends enduring each obstacle. Audrey Diwan makes a request for help carry the suspense that a thriller might get from a pursuit.

Dièné Bérété’s production design helps establish the period without making the surroundings a distraction from Anne. The music by Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine is restrained enough that it does not tell us how distressed to be. Neither contribution competes with the concentration on Anne’s face. There is already enough pressure in watching her try to secure help; the film does not need to add much.

Sandrine Bonnaire, as Gabrielle Duchesne, supplies welcome warmth without softening the danger surrounding Anne. That matters because a film about an illegal abortion can become so intent on demonstrating cruelty that everyone starts to look like an example. The screenplay largely avoids that trap. It keeps returning to the practical problem of finding help, and to what it costs Anne to need it. The legal threat is frightening enough without anyone having to deliver our conclusions for us.

The limitation is that Anne’s determination occasionally becomes almost all we are allowed to know about her. Her distress occupies so much of the film that her life beyond the pregnancy can become hard to picture. Audrey Diwan’s close framing gives us little relief from that narrowing, and there are stretches where the insistence begins to feel punitive. We would have welcomed more room for an ordinary thought or an unburdened exchange. Anamaria Vartolomei remains compelling through those stretches.

As social-realist drama, this is unusually effective at making a legal restriction feel like a threat to a particular body. It does not need a speech about why Anne’s future matters; the performance has already made us care about it. The 99-minute running time is short, but the sustained attention to her distress makes it demanding. Choose it when you can give it your full attention, and allow yourself something gentler afterwards.

*Fi1m score 86, published 3 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond strongly to Happening, praising its unsparing account of a young woman seeking an illegal abortion. Praise centres on Anamaria Vartolomei’s performance, particularly her ability to convey fear, determination and mounting anxiety without showiness. Audrey Diwan’s intimate direction also draws broad approval: close framing and restrained handling of distressing scenes make Anne’s ordeal immediate. The reviews repeatedly describe a gripping, compassionate drama whose political force comes through the physical dangers and isolation it depicts.

The reservations concern how that intensity affects the viewer, rather than the importance of the subject. IndieWire finds Anne sometimes emotionally distant, while The New Yorker offers a more substantial dissent, judging the ordeal at times punitive despite recognising the force of its warning. The spread is largely positive, with a small mixed minority; difficulty watching is more often treated as part of the film’s effectiveness than as a failing.

## Straight answers

**How long is Happening, and what is it rated?**

*Happening* runs 1h 39m. It is a drama film.

**Where can I watch Happening in Belgium?**

*Happening* is available to rent from Apple TV from €2.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**What should I watch after Happening?**

After *Happening*, try [*4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days*](https://film.one/film/4-months-3-weeks-and-2-days) (2007, Fi1m 91): An abortion drama equally attentive to the danger in ordinary transactions. Then [*Vera Drake*](https://film.one/film/vera-drake) (2004, Fi1m 84): A warmer social world makes the legal cruelty no easier to bear; and [*Never Rarely Sometimes Always*](https://film.one/film/never-rarely-sometimes-always) (2020, Fi1m 84): Quiet companionship offers some relief during another exhausting search for abortion care.

### Reviews we read (23)

- **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan (5/5): O'Sullivan calls the film sublime and praises its assured, subtle filmmaking. She singles out its striking long takes and the performances, especially Sandrine Bonnaire's warmth and intelligence. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/happening-movie-review-audrey-diwan-annie-ernaux-b995257.html)
- **Little White Lies**, David Jenkins (3/5/5): Jenkins calls the film exceptional, necessary, and politically trenchant. He praises its unsparing depiction of the dangers faced by a young woman seeking an abortion when it was illegal. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/happening)
- **IndieWire**, Natalia Winkelman (A-): Winkelman finds the drama urgent and quietly powerful, while noting it sometimes holds Annie at an emotional distance. She praises its clear-eyed portrayal of how women are left to face the burden of illegal abortion alone. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/happening-review-audrey-diwan-1234693581/)
- **The AV Club**, Martin Tsai (A-): Tsai finds the film persuasive and urgently relevant, though unlikely to change minds. He praises its vivid, intimate rendering of Anne’s ordeal, especially its unflinching close-up depiction of her attempt to end the pregnancy. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/happening-review-audrey-diwan-abortion-drama-1848879270)
- **The i Paper**, Gwendolyn Smith (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it a terrific, vital and enormously moving drama. She especially praises Anamaria Vartolomei’s quietly devastating performance and Audrey Diwan’s intimate direction. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/happening-review-one-of-the-most-potent-dramas-about-abortion-yet-1587114)
- **Empire**, Ella Kemp (85/100, inferred): Kemp finds the film powerful, urgent and elegantly told, with a clear sense of its continuing relevance. She particularly praises Anamaria Vartolomei’s performance for conveying Anne’s tenacity and terror without showiness. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/happening-2/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (85/100, inferred): Chang praises the film as an urgent, suspenseful drama that becomes a quietly affecting portrait of female solidarity. He singles out Audrey Diwan’s intimate direction and Anamaria Vartolomei’s piercing performance for making Anne’s ordeal gripping and moving. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-05-05/happening-review-abortion-drama-audrey-diwan)
- **Sight and Sound**, BFI (85/100, inferred): The critic finds the film gripping and intense, praising its focused, close-quarters portrayal of Anne’s ordeal. Anamaria Vartolomei’s deadpan performance and searching eyes are singled out for conveying the character’s fear and isolation. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/happening-gripping-film-about-realities-abortion-1960s)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (85/100, inferred): Rooney finds the film harrowing, urgent and quietly heroic, and praises its forceful, compassionate account of Annie’s fight for control over her future. He especially singles out Anamaria Vartolomei’s emotionally transparent performance and the film’s restrained handling of its most distressing scenes. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/happening-levenement-1235009267/)
- **Variety**, Guy Lodge (Critics Pick): Lodge finds the film quietly devastating, timely and powerful. He especially praises Anamaria Vartolomei’s tightly controlled, vulnerable performance. [Read](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/happening-review-1235057158/)
- **Radio Times**, James Mottram (4/5): The review describes the film as assured but unsparing. It singles out its social-realist approach to Anne’s increasingly desperate search for an abortion. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-st7w3v/happening/)
- **The Guardian**, Xan Brooks (80/100, inferred): Brooks calls the film serious, gripping and ultimately honourable. He singles out Anamaria Vartolomei’s intense performance and Audrey Diwan’s claustrophobic framing for praise. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/sep/06/happening-review-sex-and-abortion-on-the-new-frontline-in-60s-france)
- **Time Out**, Anna Smith (4/5): The review presents the film as a compelling, hard-hitting drama. It singles out its snapshot of a young woman risking prison in 1960s France. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/happening-2022)
- **Slant Magazine**, Derek Smith (3/4): Smith finds the film gripping and timely without becoming preachy. He particularly praises Anamaria Vartolomei’s compelling portrayal of Anne’s toughness and underlying unease. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/happening-review-audrey-diwan/)
- **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (75/100, inferred): Dargis finds the film an urgent, unsparing account of a young woman seeking an abortion. She singles out Anamaria Vartolomei’s performance for conveying the protagonist’s fear and resolve. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/05/movies/happening-review-abortion.html)
- **Screen Daily**, Lee Marshall (68/100, inferred): The review presents the film as a harrowing drama. It focuses on a young French student growing increasingly desperate to secure an abortion. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/happening-venice-review/5163044.article)
- **RogerEbert.com** (64/100, inferred): The page is blocked by a browser check, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No praise or complaint from the review is visible. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/happening-movie-review-2022)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (45/100, inferred): Lane finds the film’s solitary ordeal hard to endure and at times punitive, though its urgency feels newly significant. He praises the force of its warning about laws that could again drive women to dangerous measures. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/05/16/happening-and-the-solitary-woe-of-an-illegal-abortion)
- **The Skinny**, Anahit Behrooz (★★★★★): Behrooz finds the film a harrowing reminder that bodily agency cannot be taken for granted. She praises Anamaria Vartolomei’s forceful lead performance for grounding its portrait of patriarchal control. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/happening-audrey-diwan)
- **Deadline**, Stephanie Bunbury (85/100, inferred): Bunbury considers the film a precise, bravura work that soberly conveys the dangers Anne faces. She particularly praises Anamaria Vartolomei’s unwavering performance and the film’s restrained depiction of the abortion. [Read](https://deadline.com/2021/09/happening-movie-review-levenement-audrey-diwan-venice-golden-lion-1234831288/)
- **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (75/100, inferred): Wilkinson finds the film harrowing but compassionate, and ultimately hard to forget. She singles out Anamaria Vartolomei’s portrayal of Anne’s quiet desperation and determination. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/happening-2021-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)
- **Paste**, Natalia Keogan (8.2): Keogan finds the film painfully prescient, portraying the suffering caused by restricting abortion access. She singles out Anamaria Vartolomei’s performance for vividly conveying Anne’s mounting anxiety. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/audrey-diwan/happening-review)
- **The Wrap** (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the film urgent and affecting, while acknowledging its starkness makes it difficult to watch. They single out Diwan’s immersive, social-realist direction for bringing Anne’s ordeal close to the audience. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/happening-film-review-audrey-diwan-abortion/)

## Details

- **Director:** Audrey Diwan
- **Director:** Audrey Diwan
- **Screenplay:** Marcia Romano, Audrey Diwan
- **Novel:** Annie Ernaux
- **Cinematography:** Laurent Tangy
- **Editor:** Géraldine Mangenot
- **Music:** Sacha Galperine, Evgueni Galperine
- **Production design:** Dièné Bérété
- **Costume design:** Isabelle Pannetier
- **Producer:** Édouard Weil, Alice Girard
- **Cast:** Anamaria Vartolomei as Anne Duchesne; Kacey Mottet-Klein as Jean; Luàna Bajrami as Hélène; Louise Orry-Diquéro as Brigitte; Pio Marmaï as Pr. Bornec; Sandrine Bonnaire as Gabrielle Duchesne; Cyril Metzger as Gaspard; Anna Mouglalis as Madame Rivière
- **Runtime:** 1h 39m
- **First release (Italy):** 5 September 2021
- **Genres:** Drama
- **Also in:** [Golden Lion winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-lion.md) (Winner, 2021)
- **Box office:** $171,765
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONGL8j_zb7E

## Where to watch in Belgium

- Apple TV: rent €2.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy €4.99, hd

*Checked 2026-10-03.*

Also available in: AE, AT, AU, BE, CA, CH, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IT, JP, NL, NO, NZ, SE, UA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Lumière Award for Best Film 2022: Lumière Award for Best Film (won)
- European University Film Award 2021: European University Film Award (nominated)
- Venice Film Festival 2021: Golden Lion (won)

## If you liked this

- *4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days* (2007), Fi1m 91: An abortion drama equally attentive to the danger in ordinary transactions. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/4-months-3-weeks-and-2-days.md)
- *Vera Drake* (2004), Fi1m 84: A warmer social world makes the legal cruelty no easier to bear. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/vera-drake.md)
- *Never Rarely Sometimes Always* (2020), Fi1m 84: Quiet companionship offers some relief during another exhausting search for abortion care. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/never-rarely-sometimes-always.md)
- *Cléo from 5 to 7* (1962), Fi1m 88: A woman’s fear for her body changes how an entire city feels. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/cleo-from-5-to-7.md)
- *The Circle* (2000): Women navigate everyday restrictions that steadily become impossible to live around.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/happening