The great 2021 French drama L’événement (Happening) by directress Audrey Diwan was released recently. It follows young promising literature student Anne (Anamaria Vartolomei) in the 60’s who gets pregnant before her final exams and tries to get an abortion, which was illegal at the time, bore great health dangers and could even lead to her imprisonment.
The film has a naturalistic style and follows the protagonist closely with a beautiful over-the-shoulder cinematography reminiscent of the gripping Holocaust Drama Son of Saul (2015), which creates a very intimate bond with the viewer. Anne is shown with her friends in the park, during class in the lecture hall, at parties or visiting her parents creating a detailed portrait of her and lets the drama naturally emerge from these scenes of her everyday life. Female bodies are shown intimately and at the same time always from a perspective that doesn’t reveal too much. Nonetheless it features probably the most explicit depiction of an abortion on screen.
The film is clearly in a line of modern feminist films like An Education (2009) – Successful Student has to decide between romance and education. Dangers of illegal abortion like in 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007). French naturalism like Blue is the Warmest Color (2013). Girlhood and friendship like in Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) (also featuring the great actress Luàna Bajrami) and the shame and inner conflict of coming to the decision of having an abortion and making this emotional journey like in Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020).
A beautifully shot arthouse drama with strong performances that is definitely worthwile.
