4 months, 3 weeks & 2 days – 4 luni, 3 saptamini si 2 zile (2007)

Directed by: Cristian Mungiu | 113 minutes | drama | Actors: Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov, Alexandru Potocean, Ion Sapdaru, Teodor Corban, Tania Popa, Cerasela Iosifescu, Doru Ana, Eugenia Bosânceanu, Marioara Sterian, Adi Carauleanu, Ion Grosu

Unanimous Winner Golden Palm Cannes.

‘4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days’ provides a penetrating picture of the bleak living conditions during the last dark years of Ceaucescu’s reign. Life is bleak in 1987. Abortion had been banned since 1966 in order to provide the country with additional workers in the long term. Anyone caught would face a hefty prison sentence. Abortion therefore took place in the well-known back rooms, under the most unsafe conditions and with regular fatalities.

The title of the film refers to the duration of the pregnancy. Without exploiting the subject in any way, the director creates a staggering story with the elaboration of his film. The trap of cheap effect hunting is avoided. The tragedy of the subject and the history of the two young women in the events are sketched purely and unadorned. The deeply human story and the tragedy that takes place is filmed in a horrifyingly beautiful and honest way. Inexorably and revealing everything, it sketches how deep the moral bankruptcy of society was during the Ceaucescu regime.

The film begins with scenes in the college dormitory. The roommates and friends Otilia (brilliantly played by Anamaria Marinca) and Gabita (persuasive play by Laura Vasiliu) confer. They talk about things that are necessary for something we don’t know yet. Gabita turns out to be pregnant unintentionally. Tension is in the air. A hotel room has apparently been booked, but upon arrival the reservation appears to be unknown. Everything is full. The counter staff is extremely rude, to the point of being rude. Otilia has to look for another hotel, where they eventually want to help her find a room after much deliberation for a lot of money.

After this, a meeting takes place with the abortionist Mr. bebe. This man is extremely rude. His explicit instructions on how to act and where to book a hotel room have not been followed exactly. He immediately puts the pressure on the two women. When he examines Gabita, he discovers that the pregnancy is much more advanced than she said. He therefore states that he has to raise the ‘price’, which is non-negotiable. He insults the women and increases the pressure. They don’t have enough money and can’t go anywhere. He wants the remaining money, but also demands to sleep with both women before performing the abortion. The cool and cynical way in which he conducts the ‘discussion’ and blackmails them is horrifying. The two women stand with their backs against the wall. Otilia makes the ultimate sacrifice under these extreme conditions. She also uses her body to help her friend.

After getting his way, Mr. Bebe’s attitude is dramatic. He starts with the technical preparations for the abortion and gives advice on how to act in the coming period. The scenes in which the preparation for the abortion is filmed are of the utmost discretion and remain hidden. Nevertheless, at the same time, the masterly camera work manages to capture the tension and discomfort incredibly well. After the abortionist’s departure, the women were of course paralyzed physically and psychologically. Without words, their situation is silently outlined, they are broken. It is now indefinitely waiting for the rejection of the fruit.

Otilia herself has a boyfriend at university. She has a deal with him that she can’t get out of. That same day she has to meet his parents for the first time on his mother’s birthday. Otilia has to leave Gabita in the room temporarily. Here, too, her situation is masterfully outlined. Gabita is alone and still doesn’t know if everything will end well. This dilemma is penetratingly shaped. At the birthday, the guests are in lively discussions, Otilia slowly sinks into a deep abyss of hidden emotions. After she leaves the party early, she goes back to Gabita. New dramatic developments await there.

The subject is gripping, the developments sometimes staggering. However, the director has amazingly succeeded in filming everything carefully and cleanly. The bleakness and poverty of the circumstances give an extra dimension to the atmosphere of the film. The film is constructed in such a way that no shocking images can be seen. It is up to the viewer to interpret and give meaning to it.

The camera is often close to the actors’ skin, the shots in the extremely gray surroundings have an oppressive effect. Lots of long shots with little camera movement, sharp dialogues with silences that say it all. Brilliant acting, especially where Otilia fights her inner struggle and her facial expressions actually speak for her.

The Vatican’s house newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, slammed what the newspaper said was a “disgraceful” film, “which treats the fetus as waste and not as a human being”. At the same time, the news broke that Amnesty International has decided to make a fundamental change in its existence: Amnesty will henceforth work to facilitate access to abortion. The Vatican immediately furiously announced that Catholics can no longer support the organization financially.

‘4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days’ is a film like a sledgehammer, gripping and moving. A pure masterpiece that must be seen.