---
title: "Happening: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/happening/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/happening"
critics_score: 81
critics_reviews: 23
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): what the critics said

Critics' score 81 from 23 reviews: 20 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative.

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.

## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan

Rating 5/5. 22 April 2022. 

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 the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/happening-movie-review-audrey-diwan-annie-ernaux-b995257.html)

## Little White Lies — David Jenkins

Rating 3/5/5. 20 April 2022. 

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 the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/happening)

## IndieWire — Natalia Winkelman

Rating A-. 25 January 2022. Festival review. 

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 the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/happening-review-audrey-diwan-1234693581/)

## The AV Club — Martin Tsai

Rating A-. 5 May 2022. 

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 the review](https://www.avclub.com/happening-review-audrey-diwan-abortion-drama-1848879270)

## The i Paper — Gwendolyn Smith

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 April 2022. 

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 the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/happening-review-one-of-the-most-potent-dramas-about-abortion-yet-1587114)

## Empire — Ella Kemp

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 April 2022. 

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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/happening-2/)

## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 5 May 2022. 

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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-05-05/happening-review-abortion-drama-audrey-diwan)

## Sight and Sound — BFI

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2022. 

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 the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/happening-gripping-film-about-realities-abortion-1960s)

## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2021. Festival review. 

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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/happening-levenement-1235009267/)

## Variety — Guy Lodge

Rating Critics Pick. 6 September 2021. Festival review. 

Lodge finds the film quietly devastating, timely and powerful. He especially praises Anamaria Vartolomei’s tightly controlled, vulnerable performance.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/happening-review-1235057158/)

## Radio Times — James Mottram

Rating 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-st7w3v/happening/)

## The Guardian — Xan Brooks

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2021. Festival review. 

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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/sep/06/happening-review-sex-and-abortion-on-the-new-frontline-in-60s-france)

## Time Out — Anna Smith

Rating 4/5. 12 April 2022. 

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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/happening-2022)

## Slant Magazine — Derek Smith

Rating 3/4. 21 January 2022. 

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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/happening-review-audrey-diwan/)

## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 5 May 2022. 

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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/05/movies/happening-review-abortion.html)

## Screen Daily — Lee Marshall

Fi1m's normalised score 68/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2021. Festival review. 

The review presents the film as a harrowing drama. It focuses on a young French student growing increasingly desperate to secure an abortion.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/happening-venice-review/5163044.article)

## RogerEbert.com

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

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 the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/happening-movie-review-2022)

## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane

Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 5 May 2022. 

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 the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/05/16/happening-and-the-solitary-woe-of-an-illegal-abortion)

## The Skinny — Anahit Behrooz

Rating ★★★★★. 9 March 2022. 

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 the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/happening-audrey-diwan)

## Deadline — Stephanie Bunbury

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2021. Festival review. 

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 the review](https://deadline.com/2021/09/happening-movie-review-levenement-audrey-diwan-venice-golden-lion-1234831288/)

## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 8 February 2022. Festival review. 

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 the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/happening-2021-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)

## Paste — Natalia Keogan

Rating 8.2. 4 May 2022. 

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 the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/audrey-diwan/happening-review)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 13 May 2022. 

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 the review](https://www.thewrap.com/happening-film-review-audrey-diwan-abortion/)

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