Winner of this year’s Golden Lion Award at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, HAPPENING is an adaptation of Annie Ernaux's eponymous novel, looking back on her experience with abortion when it was still illegal in France in the 1960s.
In 1963 France, Anne, a bright young student, gets pregnant, seeing her opportunities to finish her studies and excel slipping 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.
HAPPENING is French social realism at its finest, the film does not shy away from this increasingly relevant topic as women’s rights are challenged across the globe. It’s this atmosphere of judgement and isolation that is palpable, as the line between drama and thriller are blurred in what seems like the protagonist’s fight for life.
Content Warning: Contains sequences with high intensity medical procedures.
Thursday 14th April
100 min
R18+
Drama
