I am writing this after the June 24, 2022 Roe v. Wade reversal and horrified that I’m putting these words to paper. This decision immediately created a dystopian reality for women and brings into focus those films that give us a glimpse into what that reality actually means for a human being.
Happening, a new film by Audrey Diwan who adapted the autobiographical novella of the same name by Annie Ernaux, gives an unflinching account of Annie Duchesne, a young woman living in 1963 France, who struggles with an admirable determination to find anyone to help her get an abortion. This is, of course, an almost impossible feat as abortion was not legal at the time – so illegal, in fact, that anyone in a position to help is afraid of repercussions to their own profession.
“Abortion” is a word that, true to the time, is never uttered in the film. As if just saying it would land you in jail. On the flip side, the only time we hear the word “pregnant” is from the doctor who breaks the news to Annie. As if just saying it would give recognition and proof that a woman could be a sexual human being. But Annie is just that. She is a young college student – she goes to parties, she dances, and yes (gulp), she likes sex. We see her at her most free when she’s on the dance floor; we don’t bear witness to any sexual act, not explicitly. We don’t even see the man she has sex with for more than a couple scenes. Because none of this is the point.
The movie instead focuses on following Annie, and we are with her in every step of her quest to get help. Its no-nonsense style of filmmaking creates a sense of urgency that we, like Annie, cannot escape. The over-the-shoulder shots of her bobbing ponytail and tight aspect ratio put us directly in Anne’s thoughts and, fittingly, the story focuses squarely on the lonely solitude of her decision – no romantic entanglement, no pressure from a man to make one choice or another, no remorse. Even in shots with her friends, Annie is placed increasingly on the frame’s edges. Her decision is hers – and hers ONLY.
The ramifications of Annie’s unwanted condition are brutal and hard to watch but so important, especially given our current political climate. No one in a situation like hers should be shunned or left alone, but as she quietly says throughout, “I’ll manage…” Indeed, as women, we all will.
