MUBI

I make no secret of my stance when it comes to this subject. I’m extremely against it.

However there’s no doubting it makes for gripping cinema.

Nice characters. In fact I thought all the characters were good. The performances were strong, I liked the photography and quite frankly I found this film captivating.

During the birthday dinner scene at one stage I just stopped reading the subtitles because I just wanted to concerntrate on Anamaria Marinca as Otilia deep in thought or most likely turmoil.

A haunted and paranoid mood piece scored to the deadening static of silence, interspersed with stifled cries of desperation and candid misery spread out over inert frames. The ambient, stagnant panic works, even if it takes a while to fully sink under your skin. Yet you sit there, can’t help but wondering why certain scenes need to be held as long as they are, why there couldn’t be an edit here, or a cut there, or dialogue snipped there. The most listless scenes are something in the realm of being comatose. But for such carefully building anxiety and subdued, unnerving distress – pain released as if leaking through a pinhole – there isn’t anything quite like it. What becomes of such seemingly indulgent dormancy is actually pretty effective; a disquieting metaphor for relational disappointment, impending responsibility, and life in an emotional vortex where even the people you most trust become most distant.

4 Months , 3 Weeks and 2 Days achieves its goal in one particular scene: The scene where Mungiu decides to show the foetus.I’m sure it changed a whole lot of perspectives, including mine.It’s power rests unforgettable,to say the least.
The political context behind the film is extremely interesting,and it is all witnessed in a the dinner scene at Otilia’s boyfriend’s house.I particularly liked the framing of the shots, and the choice of palettes as well, they add to the more stylized side of realism, just like in Lilya 4-Ever.

A great movie.The direction depicts the difficulties and the horror of living under a Communit Regime,the fear and the agony that rules the lives of all the protagonists,that affects all of their choices and behaviors.On the other side,I must admit that the realistic view of the movie makes it disturbing and very difficult to go through(I don’t think that this is the kind of movie that one would want to see multiple times).
One thing that I love,is how the director moves away from the abortion,which seems to be the main theme of the movie,and concentrates more on the character of Otilia and her complicated emotional situation.It is amazing how at last Otilia carried all the weight,instead of her selfish(?) and irresponsible friend.Moreover,Anamaria Marinca gave a magnificent performance and managed to bring on the screen all the various emotions of Otilia.
To sum up,4 months,3 weeks and 2 days is a quite shocking and intense movie,that it is surely not appropriate for those who see cinema as entertaiment.But those who see movies as an art,and know that can be very disturbing in order to achieve its goals,this is a movie that,if they wouldn’t love,they will definetely admit as a great piece of real cinema.

The single most realistic movie I’ve ever seen. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days follows Gabita, from her unexpected pregnancy to her seeking an illegal abortion in ’87 Romania. Brilliantly directed, it never fails to pull the viewer into its drama. I often felt like an actual spectator of the events onscreen, due in large part to the visceral acting and tone. EVERYTHING feels real. BOTTOM LINE: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is raw, visceral, and very hard to watch- but about as close to flawless as it gets.

This was quite an intense and tough little experience. It is quite disturbing, but I felt only because of not knowing what exactly to expect. Personally, I love great use of long takes, and boy does this film use them in an amazing way. I found it very intriguing that it chose to not necessarily state a side on the issue and focused more on the personal trauma that had to be endured.

Does anyone else think this could possibly be filed under some sub-genre of “horror”?

One of those rare films that manages to be very simple and very complex at the same time. Opting for minimalist realism and shot with a sparse, no-frills style – it’s the realistic atmosphere that makes it so harrowing and intense. Deep, multi-layered characters and superb performances, this is a film about the emotions that are boiling beneath the surface. There are a few scenes that go on too long, and the pacing might be too slow for some, but this is an excellent film.

Two women, Otilia and Gabita, smoking cigarettes. Pensive, no unnecessary words between them. Silence. Otilia finally breaks the silence. “Okay,” she says and the movie begins. Otilia moves throughout the dorm they share, collecting some belongings and giving Gabita last minute instructions. Then Otilia leaves her Bucharest university campus and begins her harrowing journey.

Set in the Communist Romania of 1987, “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days”, is a story about oppression and about how living in a state of fear can create a sterling bond between the oppressed. Is it hard to imagine Otilia putting herself at such personal risk and sacrificing so much if she lived in relative freedom and safety. Otilia’s mission will prove repellent to some of the viewing audience and director Mungiu wisely stays out of the way. He keeps an unflinching eye on the whole affair and lets you decide for yourself.

Director Mungiu’s style is not flashy. He uses long takes and tracking shots to try to achieve veracity. This proves successful. With his choices, Mungiu gives the impression more of video diarist than manipulator. He tricks you into believing he is just a passive observer and this allows him more easily to avoid passing judgment on any particular character or action. Mungiu disappears into the film.

“4 Months” is not a pleasurable film. The director sustains tension throughout the movie and never provides catharsis, even in conclusion. This is a sad story well told and unrelentingly tense. One of the year’s best, but you leave the film ill at ease, angered. But art should provoke and unsettle. By this measure, Mungiu is a master.

In the communist Romania of 1987 is, under the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceauşescu, getting an abortion strictly prohibited: you could face a long prison sentence if it was discovered. Ceauşescu tried to create “the new human” and forced women to give birth to their babies at all costs.
In this difficult situation are the 2 girlfriends Gabita and Otilia: Gabita is unwillingly pregnant and wants to have an abortion. Together with Otilia they put themselves in the most difficult situations to have it done without anyone finding out.

The film has, because of the way it is shot, a realistic, kind of documentary feel. Through a mix of handheld camerawork and (especially in the second part of the film) beautiful, extremely long takes
in wich no cuts take place. This gives you the feeling that you`re part of the things that are taking place, wich gives the film that realistic feel.
Also the fact that there isn`t any music used to underline the tone of the film helps in this.
The acting is great, especially Anamaria Marinca in the part of Otilia (from who`s point of view the story is told) is really strong.

We see how far people had to go to get an abortion (the film is based on true stories) and what the consequences could if “they” would find out. We could better be happy that we don`t have that kind of policy over here in The Netherlands and that we have a pro-choice policy.
The result is a beautiful, throat gripping film that doesn`t let go until it`s over and makes you think about certain things.

8,5/10

Anamaria Marinca is a revelation as a frustrated college student arranging an illegal abortion for her selfish best friend in director Cristian Mungiu’s much acclaimed Palme D’or winner, a central work in the burgeoning Neo-realist cinema of Romania. In the waning days of the communist regime (“Romania, 1987” says the simple inter title) two college friends desperately try to arrange a black market abortion nearing the crucial calendar cut-off (hence the title), but roadblocks, including the securing of a proper space, and a menacing and matter-of-fact abortion provider (Vlad Ivanov), prove the illegal task almost impossible. The tension of Mungiu’s brilliantly realized screenplay comes in the way he photographs Marinca, in excruciatingly long single takes, usually of long or medium shot, as the pressures of her duty as a friend to secure the abortion, clash hand in hand with both her personal safety and social responsibilities of a relationship with a frustrated boyfriend (Alexandru Potocean). The long takes help to enhance the mood, be it the awkwardness of a dinner party, or the painfully disturbing revelation of a bathroom floor bundle near the climax, while the seemingly natural lighting, drab interiors, and rigid bureaucracy, from buying smuggled cigarettes to securing a single motel room, suggest a country struggling to advance in an age of modernity.

The most important aspect of this film is the two female leads. Rather than focusing solely on the pregnant character which would make the experience more horrific (although the bald description of the procedure by the abortionist is one of the most harrowing scenes in film), but also more personal, the film allows the other lead to explore the wider social pressures and ramifications of this choice by women in a restrictive society. This split diminishes the characters who make some almost inexplicable choices, but strengthens and broadens the scope of the film in the end.

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days is a heavy, heavy film. I knew going in that it was considered by most to be a one-timer, a film that needs to be experienced, but one that will not make you want to watch again for a long time if ever. I guess I just didn’t think it would be as hard to watch as it is. When the synopsis says that the movie revolves around a young woman helping to assist her friend in getting an abortion, it means it. From start to finish, Cristian Mungiu’s work encompasses a single day from morning to night, packing while still not quite grasping the situation to silence upon the slow realization of the hell that they have just visited and may never be able to leave. For our main character, this is absolutely the longest day of her life and an abortion is the least of her troubles.

Otilia is played by Anamaria Marinca to perfection. She is asked to go through some excruciating events while centered in frame for extended periods of time. There are multiple long takes focused on her reactions and facial expressions while those around her converse and go about their business. When the abortion is finalized and about five minutes of straight, uncomfortable silence go by from the viewpoint of the bed looking at Otilia, we switch to a profile close-up of her as she tries to stay calm while attempting to chastise her friend for her lies and complete bungling of the proceedings. The way she must fight back the tears so as not to fully harm the distraught patient is hard to watch especially knowing what she had just gone through to allow the termination to occur. There are many more instances like this one, including a scene square on her at the dinner table of her boyfriend’s family. Cityfolk and successes, they talk about the inferiority of countryfolk as though they don’t realize one is sitting with them. They laugh and speak about how the young have no respect for their elders; well I wouldn’t either if my elders had no respect for humanity. If only they knew what was going on in her head, battling their subtle chides at her birthplace while fearing the worst for her friend whom she left behind in a locked hotel room, alone and scared waiting for her unborn child to leave her body.

By no means should anyone watch this film unless they absolutely know what they are getting into. If you thought Vera Drake was an unrelenting look into the topic of abortion, you can’t even imagine what will happen here. Probably the most controversial film I’ve seen in a long time, if not ever, this Palme d’Or winner will divide audiences and shock them to the core. It definitely begs the question for whether abortions should be legal. If you are pro-life or pro-choice, you have to still believe in safety for the mother. In a world where the procedure is illegal, we have young girls afraid of what is happening to them. They, like Gabita (a realistically tragic turn from Laura Vasiliu), face denial and wait too long to the point where their lives become at risk. An argument can surely be made that if Romania had legal abortions, this woman may have gone to a hospital earlier on rather then wait the duration of time expressed by the film’s title. With the issue of the right to life being only one example, this movie unveils a country locked into the past with a society of people without freedom. Upon graduation from college, each student is assigned an area to work the rest of their lives, (being a Tech student like Otilia pretty much means a city job in a factory, while her boyfriend continues his chemistry degree to be sent elsewhere), and they cannot go anywhere without their ID card as their movements are tracked to the point where one would get in trouble from the police for a card with a faded letter on their name. Romania appears to be a poverty stricken nation trying too hard to survive to allow its citizens to live lives without fear and dejection for the future.

Seeing what the world has come to during her journey to help a friend, Otilia finds out a lot about herself. She sees the selfishness of those around her, the reality of relationships before a career path is set being futile, how tenuous trust is between strangers and friends alike, and the responsibility that life truly requires. This film is an education on life and all the hard times it will throw at you. One has to weigh all her options and accept the situation she is in to do what she thinks is right whether onlookers will agree or not. Between what is asked of her by the “doctor” performing the termination and what her friend asks as far as disposing of the fetus, Otilia experiences a crisis of identity and faith without the ability to have any release, shown perfectly by the final shot of the film, (how perfect is that wedding reception dish set down by the waiter?).

While so much is rough to watch, nothing is done for shock value alone. Each instance happens in full context to the story. Between the rapes, the abortion procedure in full, the shocking static shot of the bathroom floor upon Otilia’s return, the frantic run to find a place for the fetus’ disposal, and even the short throwaway scene of the hotel receptionist giving the “doctor’s” ID card over as he forgot it has meaning. This man goes through the entire film saying how he has hid nothing, used his name and his car with fear of imprisonment if caught, and then we see that he left his ID card, the one thing it appears is crucial to life in Romania only leads to one explanation: he had been lying the entire time. However, can you really judge him fully after he performs the illegal service with professionalism and complete care? You most definitely can once you consider his payment, but either way it is still very uncomfortable to see this monster of sorts pat Gabita’s leg before leaving and saying “good luck” with complete sincerity. The film keeps you on your toes, moreso during the extended periods of silence, throwing tragic realities your way, mirrored off of the face of a woman broken completely under the weight placed on her shoulders, just attempting to get through the night in one piece. It’s brilliance housed in a very mentally tough package.

Excelente film.
Se plantea el proceso que implica en una joven realizarse un aborto en Rumania, con las caracteristicas de esa sociedad en un momento determinado.
El film ronda al personaje de OTILIA, la compañera que acompaña en esta experiencia a la joven.

Es ejemplar la actuacion de ANAMARIA MARINCA.

Es un film dificil, duro, con muchísima oscuridad como el tema mismo y con demasiada camara en mano.
Hay dos roles muy pequeños en el film de los actores principales de BUCAREST 12:08.

8,5/10

The entire movie felt like a good scene to an even greater movie that never materialized. I understand that this movie is meant to be taken for it’s subtlety (like the scene with at the dinner table; look how it captures the old generation with the new; the tension in her silence) but funny enough it’s subversiveness was as obvious as an airbrushed Gucci model. Yet, it’s still a very engaging movie that touches a very important, historical issue and that’s all well and done.

The most admirable feat of the film is the lean and calculated storytelling Mungiu has taken the time and conscience to tell us about.

The part that didn’t stick has to do with forgetting to include the feeling.

Earlier last year, ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days’ became an unexpected sensation at the Cannes Film Festival by receiving the prestigious Palm D’Or, while running against various highly anticipated movies by established world directors, such as Wong Kar-Wai, Alexander Sokurov, and Coen Brothers. Directed by the newcomer Cristian Mungiu, ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days’ delivers a chilling and unforgettable portrait of daily life under the harsh Communist Regime of 1980’s Romania. The main protagonist of the movie is, Otilia, a young University student form a remote village, who came to an city university with the hopes of a freer life. With the start of the movie, we get completely drawn into Otilia’s bleak world and her everyday struggles. Right away, we are introduced to the biggest challenge in Otilia’s life; she is the only one who can help her roommate and best friend, Gabito, to receive an illegal and highly dangerous abortion. Thus, she sneaks out of her dorm and plunges into the grey streets of Bucharest, in order to find help for poor Gabito. What follows, is a dark and dreary journey right into the heart of a corrupt system that neither acknowledges nor tolerates the individual. However, in many way this is also the Bildungsroman of Otilia, as the unimaginable and horrifying obstacles that she has to endure to help her friend changes her immensely. Yet, on a larger scale, this is the story and the struggle of a captive nation in search and in need of something that its regime forbids them, either it’s the simple everyday luxuries like Marlboro Cigarettes or something more vital, like freedom.

One of the most powerful aspects of the movie is definitely Mungiu’s insightful, detailed, and realistic depiction of life under a harsh Communist Regime. Mungiu masterfully creates a bleak and foggy ( both literally and metaphorically) world, in which everything has a transaction value, and as the movie disturbingly portrays, in most cases, people pay these values through the most shocking sacrifices. That is what lies at the heart of the Communist regime that roams the world of ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days.’ Regardless of its sensitive themes and subject matter, Mungiu never, even for a split second, hides behind a mask of sentimentality; nothing in the film feels neither scripted nor acted, and that is what distinguishes Mungiu as a highly political and talented filmmaker. Though, this couldn’t be possible without the jaw-dropping performance delivered by newcomer actress Anamaria Marinca, who plays the main lead,Otilia, with matchless grace and compassion.

With long takes, many stationary camera shots edited effectively with Dogme style camera movements, Grey-Blue color scheme, and first-rate acting, ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days’ is a Uber-Stylized cinematic gem, that most profoundly reflects a world that has been gone long ago, but whose aftermath and damage, continues to haunt us in our nightmares, as well as in our stories, myths and psyches…