Sharon Van Etten made her impressive acting debut in Netflix’s sci-fi series prematurely canceled The OA. The indie rocker extraordinaire is now set to appear in her first-ever feature film, the Sundance-acclaimed drama Never Rarely Always Sometimes. What’s more, she’s contributed a new song to the big screen project.
In the movie, Van Etten plays the mother of Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) a teenager that travels from Pennsylvania to New York City in order to seek an abortion. Van Etten’s soundtrack contribution, titled “Staring at a Mountain”, appears during the end credits of the film as Autumn’s mission comes to a conclusion.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the singer-songwriter discussed the track and its placement in Never Rarely Sometimes Always, saying,
“I literally have a mountain in my backyard; we call it our bluff. I’d just moved to California this past fall, and it was a little isolating at first — a big change from New York. So I’ll just sit at the piano and stare, trying to feel feelings. [Laughs] I literally just thought of Sidney on that bus, driving home, and I was thinking about where she’s going. Feeling misunderstood. I wanted to give a little bit of light in the song, too.”
Van Etten also talked about one of the film’s main takeaways. “Without forcing my ideals upon other people, I think that the most important thing is for young women to know they’re not alone,” she said, “and that this is a common story that they can feel some kind of comfort in knowing that there is a way.”
Hear “Staring at a Mountain” below. Never Rarely Sometimes Always, directed by Eliza Hittman, opens in select theaters this Friday, March 13th.
Meanwhile, Van Etten will continue to support last year’s excellent Remind Me Tomorrow with a US spring tour. Snag your concert tickets here.
Sharon Van Etten Reveals New Song “Staring at a Mountain”: Stream
Lake Schatz
