HAPPENING
L’ÉVÉNEMENT
DIRECTED BY: AUDREY DIWAN
STARRING: ANAMARIA VARTOLOMEI, KACEY MOTTET KLEIN, LUÀNA BAJRAMI, LOUISE ORRY-DIQUÉRO, PIO MARMAÏ, SANDRINE BONNAIRE
Winner of this year’s Golden Lion Award at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, Happening is an adaptation of Annie Ernaux’s autobiographical novel. The movie is a powerful female story set in France, 1963 - a society that censures women’s desires.
Audrey Diwan’s second movie is a raw tale of smashed innocence set at a time when a woman’s right to have an abortion was classified as murder. The film follows the story of a young girl, studying in Paris, who dreams of becoming a writer and the challenges she faces.
Strong, raw, intense, heartbreaking, this is a must-see film with a great cast, featuring the young lead actress Anamaria Vartolomei supported by the iconic Sandrine Bonnaire.
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.