Happening (2021)
A story about a young woman robbed of control and choice in life, when she gets pregnant and can’t legally get an abortion since it is the 1960s in France. We get a very personal story told in an intimate space, following the whole ordeal from start to finish. It is hard not compare this with 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days and I think it doesn’t quite reach the same level as that. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days has basically the same plot, but it managed to open up for a story that was larger and did more than just the basic abortion plot. It told something about society and personal friendship. This is a much more tightly focused film, perhaps too much, because I don’t think the performance by Anamaria Vartolomei comes across the screen as much and then there is nothing else to carry the film. Still, it is impossible not be grabbed by the sheer emotional weight of her fight to get control back in her life.
Rating: 3.5