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Happening (film)

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Happening
Theatrical release poster
FrenchL'Événement
Directed byAudrey Diwan
Screenplay by
  • Audrey Diwan
  • Marcia Romano
  • Anne Berest
Based onL'événement
by Annie Ernaux
Produced by
  • Edouard Weil
  • Alice Girard
Starring
CinematographyLaurent Tangy
Edited byGéraldine Mangenot
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byWild Bunch
Release dates
  • 6 September 2021 (2021-09-06) (Venice)
  • 24 November 2021 (2021-11-24) (France)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench
Box office$1.6 million[1]

Happening (French: L'Événement) is a 2021 French drama thriller film directed by Audrey Diwan. The film's adapted screenplay was written by Diwan and Marcia Romano from the memoir Happening by Annie Ernaux published in 2000. The film stars French-Romanian actress Anamaria Vartolomei as the main character, Anne, who experiences the emotionally and physically traumatic process of obtaining an abortion in France before it was legalized. The film also stars Luàna Bajrami, Pio Marmaï, Sandrine Bonnaire, Anna Mouglalis, Louise Chevillotte, Kacey Mottet Kelin, and Louise Orry-Diquéro in supporting roles with cinematography by Laurent Tangy.

Set in 1963, a young and talented student, Anne, discovers she is pregnant. Her opportunities to finish her studies begin to slip away while she attempts to obtain an abortion. Since it was illegal, two male doctors refuse. As her final exams approach and her social life begins to fade, Anne struggles to find somebody else willing to help her, even if it means she is risking prison or death.

The film premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 6, 2021, where it won the Golden Lion and received universal acclaim from critics. After the award ceremony, Diwan shared that she "felt heard tonight!".[2] It was distributed by Wild Bunch in France during July 2021. The film screened at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, and was released in the United States on May 6, 2022. It was well received, being nominated for and winning numerous awards at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, BAFTA, Gotham Awards, Lumières Awards, and César Awards.

Plot

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In 1963 France, Anne is a promising university student in Angoulême. Despite having several close friends, she is often ridiculed by other students for supposedly being promiscuous. However, it is stated multiple times that all of the students "want the same thing".

While visiting her family in the country, Anne goes to see her doctor. Despite her asserting that she is still a virgin, the doctor informs her she is pregnant. Anne begs him to terminate it and he refuses, telling her that what she is asking is illegal. Anne visits another doctor in the city and also asks him for help with an abortion. He prescribes her an injection, promising her it will induce a miscarriage. When it fails, Anne searches for a doctor to perform a surgical abortion. Later we learn the injection was actually estradiol which, unbeknownst to Anne, helps maintain the pregnancy.

Anne approaches a classmate, Jean, for help. He says that he doesn't know anyone who can help her and propositions her for sex, noting there is no risk since she is already pregnant. Growing increasingly desperate, Anne attempts to perform an abortion on herself with a knitting needle on her bedroom floor, which fails. She informs her friends, who previously shared their desires for sexual intimacy, that she is pregnant and is trying to have an abortion and they abandon her. As her grades begin to suffer and her chance at graduating with honours begins to slip away, Anne goes to see Maxime, her "boyfriend". Having previously been told by Anne that she intended to have an abortion, he is shocked to learn she is still pregnant, thinking she could handle the situation on her own. They fight and she returns to school, gaining no support from Maxime for the rest of the film.

Jean approaches Anne at night to introduce her to a female friend who has had an abortion. The friend gives her the number of a doctor, explaining that the abortion will be painful and cost 400 francs in advance. Anne sells all of her belongings to pay for the abortion. It takes place in a woman's apartment on her kitchen table. The woman instructs Anne that she will have to be silent so her neighbours do not hear. She inserts a wand and tells Anne that she will start to miscarry in 24 hours. Anne fails to miscarry and returns to the abortionist who inserts a second wand, telling her it is possible there will be complications. Anne decides to go through with the procedure nevertheless and returns to her dorm where she has a complicated and painful miscarriage. Anne is found by a dorm mate who calls an ambulance. Her condition is labelled a miscarriage.

The film ends with Anne returning to university to take her final exams.

Cast

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Production

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During an interview on 23 April 2019 about her directorial debut film Losing It, screenwriter Audrey Diwan revealed she was adapting Annie Ernaux's 2000 memoir L'événement (translated as Happening), stating that the book was "very important" to her.[3] On 29 May 2020, the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée, an agency of the French Ministry of Culture, announced they would support the film, moving the project into pre-production.[4]

Principal photography for the film commenced on 27 July 2020 and took place throughout the summer.[5][6] The film entered post-production in January 2021.[7]

Release

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The film had its world premiere in competition at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on 6 September 2021.[8] Wild Bunch acquired distribution rights to the film for France in July 2021.[6] Happening screened in the Spotlight section of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.[9][10] It was released in the United States on May 6, 2022, and is available to watch on streaming platforms such as Youtube, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.

Reception

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Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 99% of 172 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's consensus reads, "A tough but rewarding watch, Happening puts a personal face on an impossibly difficult choice and its heart-rending aftermath."[11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 86 out of 100 based on 36 critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[12]

Guy Lodge, writing for Variety, praised the film's acting, particularly that of Anamaria Vartolomei's in the lead role that was described as "career-elevating".[13] The Guardian's film festival critic Xan Brooks called the film "serious, gripping and finally honourable" and commended the cinematography of Laurent Tangy, saying that "the picture's tight framing is like a noose around her neck".[14]

In an interview with the Financial Times, Diwan stated her intention to not make Happening a period piece, knowing "what my character was going through is now a current situation in many countries."[15] Justin Chang, a film critic for the Los Angeles Times and NPR's Fresh Air, commended Diwan's choice to not make the film feel like a period piece, despite being a "re-creation of the past", as he thought the film "might very well be a window into the future."[16] Michael O'Sullivan, a reporter and film critic for The Washington Post, states that Happening serves as a "sobering reminder that the consequences of limiting access to safe medical care aren't just theoretical but existential."[17] At the time of the review in 2022, the U.S Supreme Court had recently made the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which had made access to abortion a constitutional right in the United States.[17]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Venice Film Festival 11 September 2021 Golden Lion Audrey Diwan Won [18]
Brian Award Happening Won [19]
La Roche-sur-Yon International Film Festival 20 October 2021 Audience Award Happening Won [20]
European Film Awards 11 December 2021 European University Film Award Happening Nominated [21]
Lumières Awards 18 January 2022 Best Film Happening Won [22]
[23]
Best Director Audrey Diwan Nominated
Best Actress Anamaria Vartolomei Won
Best Cinematography Laurent Tangy Nominated
César Awards 25 February 2022 Best Film Happening Nominated [24]
Best Director Audrey Diwan Nominated
Most Promising Actress Anamaria Vartolomei Won
Best Adaptation Audrey Diwan and Marcia Romano Nominated
British Academy Film Awards 13 March 2022 Best Director Audrey Diwan Nominated [25]
Gotham Awards 28 November 2022 Best International Feature Happening Won [26]
Chicago Film Critics Association 14 December 2022 Best Foreign Language Film Nominated [27]
Milos Stehlik Breakthrough Filmmaker Award Audrey Diwan Nominated
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association 18 December 2022 Best International Film Happening Nominated [28]
Alliance of Women Film Journalists 5 January 2023 Best Non-English Language Film Nominated [29]
San Diego Film Critics Society 6 January 2023 Best International Film Runner-up [30]
Directors Guild of America Awards 18 February 2023 Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Theatrical Feature Film Audrey Diwan Nominated [31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Happening (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  2. ^ Ritman, Scott Roxborough,Alex; Roxborough, Scott; Ritman, Alex (11 September 2021). "French Abortion Drama 'Happening' Wins Top Prize at Venice Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Raymond, Vincent (23 April 2019). "Audrey Diwan : " le doute m'a permis d'avancer "". Le Petit Bulletin (in French). Archived from the original on 25 June 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  4. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (29 May 2020). "The CNC grants an advance on receipts to Pierre Salvadori's La Petite Bande". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  5. ^ Diwan, Audrey [@audrey.diwan] (27 July 2020). "L'événement - Jour 1 #annieernaux #rectangleproductions". Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Instagram.
  6. ^ a b Lemercier, Fabien (21 July 2021). "Audrey Diwan's Happening creates quite a buzz". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  7. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (12 January 2021). "31 market premieres to screen at the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in Paris". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  8. ^ "L'Événement". 78th Venice International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  9. ^ Tallerico, Brian (27 January 2022). "Sundance 2022: Happening, Neptune Frost, Summering | Festivals & Awards". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  10. ^ Heeney, Alex (23 January 2022). "Happening looks at the culture of shame around abortion". Seventh Row. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Happening". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  12. ^ "Happening". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  13. ^ Lodge, Guy (6 September 2021). "'Happening' Review: A Potent French Abortion Drama That Takes Place in 1963, and Feels All Too Current". Variety. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  14. ^ Brooks, Xan (6 September 2021). "Happening review – sex and abortion on the new frontline in 60s France". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  15. ^ Ide, Wendy (16 April 2022). "'Happening' director Audrey Diwan on confronting abortion taboos". Financial Times. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  16. ^ Chang, Justin (6 May 2022). "Timely and urgent, 'Happening' is a film that speaks to today's abortion debate". NPR. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  17. ^ a b "Review | The abortion drama 'Happening' is an agonizing true-life thriller". The Washington Post. 11 May 2022. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  18. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (11 September 2021). "Venice Film Festival: 'L'Événement' Wins Golden Lion, 'Hand Of God' Takes Grand Jury Prize, Jane Campion Best Director, Penelope Cruz Best Actress, Maggie Gyllenhaal Best Screenplay – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  19. ^ "Mostra del Cinema di Venezia: il premio Brian 2021 a "L'événement" di Audrey Diwan". A ragion veduta. UAAR. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  20. ^ "Séance spéciale L'ÉVÉNEMENT d'Audrey Diwan avec le Planning Familial 85 !". Cinéma le Concorde (in French). November 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  21. ^ "Happening". European University Film Award. Retrieved 29 January 2022.[dead link‍]
  22. ^ Jean François Frontera (17 January 2022). "Les nominations de la 27E Cérémonie des Lumières 2022 de la Presse Internationale". Canal (in French). Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  23. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (18 January 2022). "Lumière Awards 2022: 'Happening' and 'Annette' Among France's Top Prize Winners". IndieWire. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  24. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (26 January 2022). "'Lost Illusions', 'Annette', 'Aline' lead France's Cesar nominations". Screen Daily. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  25. ^ "Baftas 2022: the full list of nominations". The Guardian. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  26. ^ Zilko, Christian (28 November 2022). "'Everything Everywhere All at Once' Takes Best Feature at the 2022 Gotham Awards (Complete Winners List)". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  27. ^ Tallerico, Brian (12 December 2022). "Everything Everywhere All at Once Leads Chicago Film Critics Nominations". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  28. ^ Neglia, Matt (11 December 2022). "The 2022 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Nominations". NextBestPicture. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  29. ^ "2022 EDA AWARDS NOMINEES". Alliance of Women Film Journalists. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  30. ^ "2022 San Diego Film Critics Society Nominations". San Diego Film Critics Society. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  31. ^ Pedersen, Erik (11 January 2023). "DGA Awards Film Nominations: Steven Spielberg, Martin McDonagh, Todd Field, Joseph Kosinski & The Daniels Vying for Top Prize". Deadline. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
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