Sidney Flanigan stars in a scene from the movie "Never Rarely Sometimes Always." The Catholic News Service classification is O -- morally offensive. (CNS/Focus Features)

By Catholic News Service

To avoid her home state’s legal requirement that she obtain her parents’ permission to have an abortion, a 17-year-old high school student (Sidney Flanigan) from rural Pennsylvania travels to New York City seeking the procedure. She’s accompanied by her cousin (Talia Ryder) with whom she bonds and the pair meet a lad (Theodore Pellerin) along the way who, despite an initially amiable appearance, later turns out to be fully prepared to take advantage of their vulnerability when they are forced to spend a longer time away from home than they had expected and run out of money.

Misguided values permeate writer-director Eliza Hittman’s desolate drama, the message of which is that it ought to be easier for the protagonist to have her child killed.

A benign view of abortion and theft, a non-graphic aberrant sexual act, brief medical gore, partial nudity, mature references, including to rape and physical abuse, at least one use each of profane, rough and crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Click here for full reviews of this and other current movies by Catholic News Service.