-

[Please Note: This is a re-post of an interview conducted in January 2020 at the Sundance Film Festival. Never Rarely Sometimes Always is now available to rent at participating on-demand services.]

There are a bunch of big titles with very familiar faces making waves at Sundance 2020, but Park City is also the place to discover hidden gems and new talent that might not be on your radar yet, movies like Never Rarely Sometimes Always.

never-rarely-sometimes-always
Image via Focus Features

The movie scored the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Neorealism at the festival and marks the third feature film for director Eliza Hittman, following It Felt Like Love and Beach Rats, both Sundance Film Festival official selections. Never Rarely Sometimes Always features newcomers Sidney Flanigan and Talia Ryder as teenage cousins Autumn and Skylar, respectively. Autumn finds out she’s pregnant and also comes to learn that there is no way for her to get an abortion locally without telling her parents. Autumn then turns to Skylar who quickly packs a bag and takes Autumn to a New York City clinic.

Never Rare Sometimes Always is undoubtedly one of the best of Sundance 2020. And if my word and the Special Jury win aren’t enough to prove it, click here to read Matt Goldberg’s “A” review of the film. Soon after the movie’s big debut in Park City, Hittman, Flanigan and Ryder all visited the Collider Studio at the Kia Supper Suite to talk about their experience making the movie. Check out the video interview at the top of this article to learn a bit more about Flanigan and Ryder, what it was like for them making their first feature, how Hittman helped them bring their characters and the significant history between them to screen, and loads more.

Finally, I’d like to give special thanks to our Collider Studio Presenting Partner, the Kia Telluride SUV, the 2020 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. Additional thanks to support sponsors Glenfiddich Scotch, Peroni Beer, Marbl Toronto, mou footwear, ic! berlin sunglasses and clothing lines, Laundry by Sheli Segal and Orginal Penguin.

kia-supper-suite-marbl-toronto-logo-sundance-2020

Sidney Flanigan, Eliza Hittman, Talia Ryder:

  • 00:30 - What is Never Rarely Sometimes Always about?
  • 01:18 - As a Sundance pro, what advice did Hittman have for Flanigan and Ryder?
  • 01:47 - Flanigan was hesitant to commit to the film at first; why was that and what changed?
  • 03:02 - If Flanigan and Ryder could go back and give themselves one piece of advice for making their first feature, what would it be?
  • 03:40 - How does Hittman prep Flanigan and Ryder to play two characters with so much history between them?
  • 04:56 - Flanigan and Ryder share a fun fact/memory about each other.
  • 05:55 - Who is the unsung hero of Never Rarely Sometimes Always?
  • 08:31 - Hittman on the social worker who had a big impact on the film.
  • 09:46 - A pivotal scene of the movie largely stays tight on Flanigan during a one-on-one conversation. Hittman talks about what inspired her to take that visual approach to that moment.