O Acontecimento

Following the tale of a young student who becomes pregnant in the France of 1963, where abortion is a serious crime punishable by prison, this is a powerful and brilliantly executed film, gripping and often very hard to watch as it's unflinching in its depictions of the difficult and sometimes harrowing experiences the young woman is forced to go through. Told from the point of view of the main character in close up and close quarters, it's a vivid journey, superbly written and directed by Audrey Diwan and with a stunning central portrayal by Annamaria Vartolomai.

... is clearly not the question, as we wander through a world that started out with such regression, though the thoughts that linger in our heads are more for education, of traditions that left ignorance brainwashed that there's damnation, sometimes the blinkers seem to stay in place regardless of enlightening, which if you're free and progressive - will only leave you frightening.

Performances combined with a belief that things can always change for the better, no matter what those circumstances are, make this an unmissable piece of great historical stepping stone foundational film making.

It's a movie that came out at the right place in the right time, it's about a girl in France during the 60s who needs an abortion but is engulf in a culture that made this action illegal. Oh wow! Where have I heard that story before?

From a man's point a view this might sound insensitive, but this flick was horrifying. The horrible steps this woman had to take because she lived in a world that would not give her the proper medical procedure to have it done in a healthier environment, just made the whole thing feel like a horror movie. They held nothing back when it came to DIY method of how it's all done.

I don't want to get too political, then again, it's not a coincidence this movie is in American theatres now. All I'm saying is that the movie laid out a great argument for why the woman in the movie made the choice she made.

For that it's a great film because I felt spoken to instead of preached to.

Tight 100m adaptation of the Annie Ernaux novel, with a terrific performance by the lead actress. Will watch future Diwan movies.

Sure, with US heading back to medieval times on abortion, there is every bit of contemporary relevance. But that is not at all the point here. Diwan wants to make the pride and anguish of the young woman real to you, no preaching attempted or necessary. Cinematically, she succeeds.

The genre of great abortion movies is pretty small, one thinks of the Romanian 4 months 3 weeks and 2 days, but this one is near the top. Good news is, real Ernaux overcame her brutal ordeal and became a decorated French writer. Read her if you can, in the original French if you can.

This film is about the horrors of abortion or the lack of possibility to have one. "I want to have a child later, but I don't want a child instead of the life" the film heroine states at one of her doctors appointments. But being a young woman in the 60s meant exactly that- you could forget a free life and career if you became pregnant. The film told the story very close to the main character, tight cinematography. This is good for intimacy and really increases the horrors of her several attempts at aborting the fetus. At the same time I feel like the film misses a bit out on showing us the world around her, it's not a queens gambit like costume piece... if it weren't for the old cars it could have also been set in the 90s/2000s in terms of costumes and styling I feel. But that's also what gives the story a lot of actuality because it makes you think directly of the horrible situations woman go through today in countries where abortion is forbidden.

I left the film with a feeling of uneasiness and needed to take a hot shower at home.

Good acting in general, nudity without voyeurism which I greatly appreciated.