Advertisement

‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’ Director Eliza Hittman On Telling “Intimate Story” About Reproductive Healthcare In America – Contenders Film

Antonia Blyth
·1 min read

Starring newcomer Sidney Flanigan, Eliza Hittman’s film Never Rarely Sometimes Always tells the harrowing story of a young woman who must travel from Pennsylvania to New York City in order to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.

Hittman, speaking during Deadline’s Contenders Film awards-season event on a panel featuring Flanigan and fellow castmember Talia Ryder, revealed her personal attachment to the story.

More from Deadline

“I think a lot of the film came from my interest in reproductive rights,” she said, “and I was reading a lot of articles at the time about women who traveled to New York specifically to get abortions, and one article in particular was talking about all of the costs associated with this type of journey. So, it really came out of my own interest and desire to tell a very intimate story about how difficult it is to access reproductive care in America. I did a lot of research, but, ultimately, I wanted to craft a film that was very much a poetic odyssey out of these issues.”

For Flanigan, the script inspired her to take her very first try at acting. “I remember, back when I first got a chance to read the script, I was immediately drawn to the content, that it revolved around this story about abortion. I already felt passionate enough about that subject to immediately click with it. I just really enjoyed how grounded in reality everything was— the characters felt real to me.”

Check back for the panel video.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.