--- title: "Never Rarely Sometimes Always: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/never-rarely-sometimes-always/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/never-rarely-sometimes-always" critics_score: 85 critics_reviews: 25 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." --- # Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020): what the critics said Critics' score 85 from 25 reviews: 23 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics admire this film, and admire it warmly. The reviews are almost uniformly positive, with no negative notices among them. Praise clusters on Sidney Flanigan’s restrained performance as Autumn and on the near-wordless bond between her and Talia Ryder’s Skylar, which many critics treat as the film’s real subject. Hélène Louvart’s handheld cinematography is singled out repeatedly for keeping the camera close, and Eliza Hittman’s direction is credited with avoiding melodrama and moralising. Several critics name the clinic questionnaire scene, played in one unbroken take, as its centre. The reservations are few and small, and the spread is narrow: the warmest notices call it quietly devastating, the cooler ones still call it powerful. Where critics part is on the men. IndieWire finds some early scenes of male aggression heavy-handed, and Vulture argues the film sometimes overstates the hostility around its characters, though both remain admiring overall. Nobody objects to the performances. ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Rating 5/5. 15 May 2020. O'Sullivan calls the film gripping, funny, and emotionally affecting, with a romantic core. She especially praises Sidney Flanigan's performance as Autumn, calling it flabbergasting and worthy of an Oscar nomination. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/never-rarely-sometimes-always-review-an-electrifying-oscar-worthy-drama-a4441561.html) ## The Guardian — Mark Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 10 May 2020. Kermode finds the film profoundly moving, truthful and sensitively made. He especially praises the quiet, beautifully expressed bond between Autumn and Skylar. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/may/10/never-rarely-sometimes-always-review-profoundly-moving-abortion-drama-eliza-hittman-sidney-flanigan) ## IndieWire — Kate Erbland Rating A-. 25 January 2020. Festival review. Erbland calls the film Hittman’s most vivid work yet, a searing and empathetic portrait of teenage girlhood. She especially praises Sidney Flanigan and Talia Ryder’s onscreen bond, while finding some early scenes of male aggression heavy-handed. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/never-rarely-sometimes-always-review-eliza-hittman-abortion-drama-sundance-1202202932/) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 March 2020. Chang regards the film as a forceful, understated defense of abortion rights and Hittman’s most accomplished feature. He especially praises Sidney Flanigan’s restrained performance and the wordless bond between the two young women. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-03-12/never-rarely-sometimes-always-review-eliza-hittman) ## Sight and Sound — Sophie Monks Kaufman Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 March 2020. The critic finds the film extraordinarily real and deeply moving, praising its sensitive portrayal of female solidarity. They single out its restrained performances and intimate camerawork for making the characters’ tenderness feel powerful. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/never-rarely-sometimes-always-eliza-hittman-terminate-pregnancy) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 January 2020. Festival review. The critic finds the film bracingly honest, haunting, and moving, especially as a portrait of friendship and solidarity. He praises Sidney Flanigan and Talia Ryder’s natural performances and the tenderness of their on-screen chemistry. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/never-rarely-sometimes-always-sundance-2020-1271509/) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 March 2020. Brody gives the film an enthusiastic verdict, praising Hittman’s expansive vision of how social systems shape a young woman’s life. He especially singles out Sidney Flanigan’s performance and Hélène Louvart’s cinematography for conveying Autumn’s alert vulnerability. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/never-rarely-sometimes-always-reviewed-eliza-hittmans-ingenious-portrait-of-the-bureaucracy-of-abortion) ## Variety — Andrew Barker Rating Critic's Pick. 24 January 2020. Festival review. Barker calls the film a quietly devastating gem, praising its emotional precision and restraint. He singles out the lead performances and the wordless understanding between the two cousins. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/never-rarely-sometimes-always-film-review-sundance-1203479127/) ## Slant Magazine — Ben Flanagan Rating 3.5/4. 3 March 2020. The critic finds the film an authentically felt, politically potent depiction of systems rigged against women. They praise its precise screenplay and delicate cinematography for grounding its social critique in the teenagers’ ordinary, tender emotions. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/never-rarely-sometimes-always-review-eliza-hittman/) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. Strong finds the film heartbreaking and unflinching in its portrayal of reproductive rights. She singles out the understated precision and the bond between Autumn and Skylar for praise. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/festivals/never-rarely-sometimes-always-sundance-film-festival-review) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 12 March 2020. The review is positive about the film’s restrained, humane portrayal of a teenager seeking an abortion. It singles out the lead performances and the quiet attention to the protagonist’s experience. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/movies/never-rarely-sometimes-always-review.html) ## Radio Times — Stephen Applebaum Rating 4/5. Applebaum presents the drama as compassionate and clear-eyed, praising its realistic, subtle approach over melodrama. He also singles out Sidney Flanigan’s impressive performance as Autumn. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-fu726h/never-rarely-sometimes-always/) ## Time Out — Zachary Shevich Rating 4/5. 31 January 2020. The review describes the film as a poignant drama. It singles out its portrayal of the anxieties of youth against a New York backdrop. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/never-rarely-sometimes-always) ## Empire — Ben Travis Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 7 May 2020. Travis finds the film a necessary, unflinching portrait of young women facing barriers and hardship. He particularly praises the clinic sequence, where Sidney Flanigan’s performance commands an unbroken take. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/never-rarely-sometimes-always/) ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 25 January 2020. Festival review. The standfirst presents the film as a powerful drama. The accessible page does not reveal what the critic specifically praises beyond that description. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/never-rarely-sometimes-always-sundance-review/5146261.article) ## Vulture — Alison Willmore Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 January 2020. Festival review. Willmore finds the film a powerful depiction of the peril created by abortion restrictions, though it sometimes overstates the hostility surrounding its characters. She praises the quiet, unsentimental bond between Autumn and Skyler, especially its small acts of loyalty. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/never-rarely-sometimes-always-movie-review-eliza-hittman.html) ## Film Comment Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The review text is unavailable, so its verdict cannot be established. No specific element praised or criticized is visible. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/issues/march-april-2020/?pdfviewer=issue&pdf-page=70) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating A. 26 January 2020. Festival review. Goldberg argues that the film powerfully conveys the cruelty and everyday costs of the abortion system. He especially praises the performances and the questionnaire scene, which communicates Autumn’s experience with remarkable restraint. [Read the review](https://collider.com/never-rarely-sometimes-always-review/) ## Paste — Isabella Bridie DeLeo Rating 9.2/10. 10 April 2020. DeLeo finds the film poignant, prescient and sharply focused on the obstacles Autumn faces while seeking an abortion. She praises the natural performances by Sidney Flanigan and Talia Ryder, along with Eliza Hittman’s precise direction. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/eliza-hittmans-never-rarely-sometimes-always/never-rarely-sometimes-always-review) ## NME Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). The review calls the film beautiful, emotionally draining, and among 2020’s best. It especially praises Hélène Louvart’s cinematography and Hittman’s measured, compassionate direction. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/never-rarely-sometimes-always-review-2661796) ## Polygon — Karen Han Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 April 2020. Han considers the film extraordinary and urgently affecting, praising its clear-eyed, non-moralizing account of the barriers to abortion care. She especially singles out the honest performances and handheld cinematography for making Autumn and Skylar’s ordeal feel immediate and true to life. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/2020/4/3/21207282/never-rarely-sometimes-always-review-eliza-hittman/) ## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 April 2020. The critic calls the film a quietly urgent, potent work of empathetic storytelling. They single out Sidney Flanigan’s performance and the solidarity between the two friends for praise. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/never-rarely-sometimes-always-film-review-eliza-hittman/) ## Consequence — Clint Worthington Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 30 January 2020. Festival review. Worthington finds the film an intense, humanistic rejoinder to the dehumanization of pregnant women. He especially praises Sidney Flanigan’s restrained performance and the moments of beauty Hittman finds amid the film’s brutal silences. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2020/01/sundance-film-review-never-rarely-sometimes/) ## The Ringer — Adam Nayman Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 3 April 2020. Nayman praises the film as deft, subtle, and believable, and argues that its intimate story transcends the confines of an issue movie. He singles out Sidney Flanigan’s transparent performance and Hittman’s close attention to small interactions for praise. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2020/04/03/movies/never-rarely-sometimes-always-movie-review-eliza-hittman) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 25 January 2020. Festival review. The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It provides no praise or complaint to summarize. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/never-rarely-sometimes-always-sundance-review-20200125/) --- © 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/never-rarely-sometimes-always.md