Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 2021
Happening (film)
Buy Happening (film) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'Happening' is a 2021 French drama thriller film directed by Audrey Diwan from a screenplay by Diwan and Marcia Romano, based on the by Annie Ernaux. The film stars Anamaria Vartolomei and Luna Bajrami and is set to be distributed by Wild Bunch.
It was selected to world premiere in competition at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on 6 September 2021, where the film won the Golden Lion and received universal acclaim from critics.
Plot
In 1963 France, Anne, a young and talented student, gets pregnant, seeing her opportunities to finish her studies and excel slipping away from her. As her final exams approach and her social life begins to fade, Anne's pregnancy progresses, forcing her to confront the shame and pain of an abortion, even if she must risk prison to do so.
Cast
* Anamaria Vartolomei as Anne
* Kacey Mottet Klein as Jean
* Sandrine Bonnaire as Gabrielle Duchesne
* Louise Orry-Diquero as Brigitte
* Louise Chevillotte as Olivia
* Pio Marma as Professeur Bornec
* Anna Mouglalis as Mme Rivire
* Fabrizio Rongione as Dr. Ravinsky
* Luna Bajrami as Hlne
* Leonor Oberson as Claire
* Julien Frison as Maxime
* Alice de Lencquesaing as Latitia
Production
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 autobiographical novel 'L'vnement' (translated as 'Happening'), stating that the book was "very important" to her. On 29 May 2020, the Centre national du cinma et de l'image anime, an agency of the French Ministry of Culture, announced they would support the film, moving the project into pre-production.
Principal photography for the film commenced on 27 July 2020 and took place throughout the summer. The film entered post-production in January 2021.
Release
The film had its world premiere in competition at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on 6 September 2021. Prior to, Wild Bunch acquired distribution rights to the film for France in July 2021. 'Happening' screened in the Spotlight section of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 99% of 154 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." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 85 out of 100 based on 28 critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim."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". '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".
Accolades
References
Buy Happening (film) now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 2021