'Happening (2021)' may be set in 1963 in France, but it might as well be set in 2022 in America. With the recent passing of certain draconian laws, this period piece is more relevant than many of its modern-day counterparts. In fact, its period setting actually further compounds its poignance. Anyone tempted to view the backwards beliefs and legislations that plague not only its central character but, indirectly or otherwise, every other female character in the entire affair as a product of their time is either wilfully ignorant or set to have a very rude awakening when they turn on the news. Film has always been a great tool for empathy, offering a glimpse into the life of someone other than yourself. In many cases, it allows people to connect with the lived experiences of groups of people they're unlikely to ever even meet, let alone directly identify with. Watching someone, fictional or otherwise, undergo a struggle completely alien to yourself is something that, if approached with the right mindset, can widen your worldview and allow you to more easily understand those with vastly different lived experiences to that of your own. This movie does just that. It places you in the shoes of a quietly determined young student who becomes pregnant and does everything she can to obtain an abortion. For whatever reason, a woman's right to choose what happens with her own body is still a touchy subject. Here, though, it's rendered with such aplomb that it's almost hard to imagine even the most devout republican having an issue with the central character's decision. Actually, that's probably giving devout republicans too much credit. Regardless, the point still stands that the picture does an excellent job of putting you in the inconvenienced and isolated shoes of its protagonist. It does an excellent job at conveying the deep-rooted sense of betrayal that comes with everyone around you denying your right to choose what happens to you. Doctors become enemies, families become distant, friends become nothing more than faces in the crowd, and the future suddenly doesn't seem quite as bright as it used to. Despite this growing loneliness and desperation, the lead never loses her focus. She never questions her decision or, more importantly, that it's a decision she and she alone can make. Crucially, her pregnancy isn't the result of incest or a rape and there's no indication that her baby will be unhealthy or that their birth would present a danger to her own life. Instead, her pregnancy is the only thing it should need to be in order for an abortion to be administered: unwanted. By doing this, it argues for universal bodily autonomy and presents the case that abortion is a right regardless of circumstance. The protagonist even says she'd like to have a child in the future, just that she doesn't want one instead of a life. The feature is also very careful not to shame her for having sex in the first place, even though certain unsympathetic characters certainly do just that. In doing so, it avoids perpetuating the misconception that pregnancy is perhaps some sort of punishment for premarital sex. In general, the film is fantastically feminist. It's also quietly confident in its construction, taking an almost minimalist approach to its material and putting a lot of focus on its superb central performance. It doesn't shy away from the more graphic elements of its narrative, featuring a couple of protracted attempted abortions that purposefully make you squirm. It isn't overly explicit and knows exactly when to stop so that it doesn't cheapen itself by trudging into gross-out territory. By going as far as it needs to (which is further than many of its contemporaries dare to go), it presents the truth of its situation. It doesn't pretend abortion is a painless procedure, which further hammers home the fact that it should be legal - and, dare I say, free - so that it can be performed in genuine hospitals by genuine doctors with genuine tools like any other genuine medical procedure. Making abortion illegal doesn't stop abortion from happening, it stops abortion from happening safely. The flick makes you care about its central character, so you're on the edge of your seat when she undergoes some of the dangerous procedures she's forced to undergo by the laws that govern her country. While you never want her to go through that kind of pain, you also never doubt the fact that she needs to. Furthermore, you never blame her for going through these life-threatening procedures. After all, what other choice does she have? Though the film itself is a little slow on occasion and it isn't conventionally enjoyable, it's an engaging and affecting experience throughout. It has something important to say and it knows exactly how to say it. It isn't necessarily an easy watch, but it's easily a necessary one.
Review of Happening
