Happening Review

Happening is a French drama based on an autobiographical novel by Annie Ernaux. It explores a time that was oppressive for women.

Anne Duchesne (Anamaria Vartolomei) is a university student, studying literature in the 1960s. She discovers she’s pregnant at a time when abortion was illegal in France. Anne desperately seeks a way to terminate the pregnancy before it’s too late.

Happening was a critically acclaimed film. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for other awards, like Césars and BAFTAs. A lot of this praise was deserved, but it was an incredibility difficult watch considering the subject matter.

Happening was a film about abortion rights in a time when it was nearly impossible to get. It’s still an issue for women across the globe and considering recent news from America, even more relevant. To a modern eye Anne faced an extraordinary situation. The law was so extreme that not only the person performing an abortion would go to prison, but also the woman receiving the abortion and anyone who helped.

This extreme law led to 1960s France feeling like a totalitarian dystopia like The Handmaid’s Tale. Doctors and friends refused to help Anne. Anne’s friends told her not to say anymore, they wanted plausible deniability. If they don’t know they won’t get in trouble. Even worse for Anne many of the doctors supported the policy so actively trying to ensure the pregnancy came to term. Most of these doctors were middle-aged men, which shows how little the abortion debate has changed. In America the biggest advocates for pro-life in America are middle-aged men who try to dictate what women can do with their bodies.

Anne had to take extreme action during the film. She needed to get a termination by the 12-week mark or it would have been too dangerous. It was a ticking time bomb. But even within this time frame trying to terminate the pregnancy was risky. Anne resorted to self-operating and tried to find a back-alley abortion. There were no medical safeguards. This film shows why abortion should be legal because it drives the need underground and puts lives at risk. Within the UK the organisation Abortion Support Network sponsored charity screenings of the film.

Happening added its hard-hitting nature by showing the abortion attempts. As stated the conditions to perform the procedure weren’t optimal and it was shown to be a horrible experience. There was a frankness during these sequences, like how the instruments were sterilised and showed how painful the procedure was. Whilst the actual operation was off-screen, the pain and trauma were present and the implication was felt. The abortion scenes were some of the most difficult I had to watch. It was more like a horror movie.

Happening highlighted the loneliness Anne experienced. Anne was rejected by her friends, faced hostility from other women who acted like school bullies, and Anne couldn’t tell her parents. One of Anne’s male friends tries to take advantage of Anne by saying they could have sex since she was pregnant already. As the film progressed Anne became more isolated and it put a great deal of mental strain on the young woman. There were times when Anne was crying alone in her dorm room. A powerful moment was when one of Anne’s professors asked why her academic performance was falling and she wouldn’t say a word.

The casting team did pick the right actress for the lead role. Anamaria Vartolomei was already seen as an emerging actress in France and she has earned praise and awards for her performance in Happening. Deservedly so. Vartolomei was terrific as she struggled through this situation. Despite Anne’s ability to put on a brave face, she could say a lot with a small expression or look.

Happening was a great and important film because of its subject matter. It’s hard to argue against the message of the film. But due to its subject matter and the warts-and-all presentation, Happening is a film that can only be viewed once.