4 Luni, 3 Saptamâni si 2 Zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) (2007)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Daniel P

  
  A good, realistic movie that, for my money, is a bit over-rated, and one that takes a long time to get you into the story. It's clinical for the first half-hour or more, but eventually, the stakes do rise, and through one gut-wrenchingly long dinner scene, you start to feel the… More
  A good, realistic movie that, for my money, is a bit over-rated, and one that takes a long time to get you into the story. It's clinical for the first half-hour or more, but eventually, the stakes do rise, and through one gut-wrenchingly long dinner scene, you start to feel the urgency of the whole affair: Gabi needs an abortion, and no one can find out, no matter what it takes. Romanian neo-realism, exactly as advertised, sarcastically included in what director Mungiu calls his Tales of the Golden Age, documenting life under Ceaucescu's regime. I'm excited to see more from him, I think he's just ramping up to the global stage.

• Anthony L

  
  4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 days really reels you in with it's hypnotic voyeurism. It's brutal realism is uncomfortable viewing at times but is utterly captivating throughout. The long takes only emphasises how great the acting is, particularly from Anamaria Marinca in the lead… More
  4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 days really reels you in with it's hypnotic voyeurism. It's brutal realism is uncomfortable viewing at times but is utterly captivating throughout. The long takes only emphasises how great the acting is, particularly from Anamaria Marinca in the lead role. The hotel scene is uncompromising, stunning and cinema at it's best. Cristian Mungiu is a director to look out for, just as he gets you used to being a fly on the wall he rolls up a newspaper and smacks you round the head with it, in what is now one of my favourite endings to a movie ever. Brilliant cinema.

• Dan S

  
  A visceral, unrelentingly grim tale concerning an intense friendship between two roommates and how one of them (Laura Vasiliu) coaxes the other (Anamaria Marinca) into helping her get an illegal abortion in 1980's Romania. This is one of the 00's finer pictures, thanks to… More
  A visceral, unrelentingly grim tale concerning an intense friendship between two roommates and how one of them (Laura Vasiliu) coaxes the other (Anamaria Marinca) into helping her get an illegal abortion in 1980's Romania. This is one of the 00's finer pictures, thanks to impeccable acting and a rough, incredibly realistic look at the seedy underground of Europe. This is a film not so much concentrated on the moral issue of abortion, for which I found to be a nice surprise, but instead it is more focused on friendship and how far one is willing to go for one's best friend. The last shot of this movie features one of the more haunting gazes I can recall in a movie. It is never easy to watch, but it is certainly informative and truly unforgettable.

• familiar s

  
  Defines the height of idiocy...

• Leigh R

  
  Disturbing... Wow, the lengths that people took is insane. I'm telling you that this really had a true friendship reality to it.

• Emile T

  
  A very important film, well-done and greatly acted. I still didn't like it that much. The story could have been told in an hour, and then I wouldn't have been looking at my watch every 5 minutes. I can't understand why everyone's screaming how this movie is… More
  A very important film, well-done and greatly acted. I still didn't like it that much. The story could have been told in an hour, and then I wouldn't have been looking at my watch every 5 minutes. I can't understand why everyone's screaming how this movie is great. It surely is a film to watch, but except some key scenes, it bored me to death.

• Lady D

  
  A controversial and interesting topic, which unfortunately is incredibly drawn out. It's very well acted and had the content been squeezed down every so slightly, this could have made a brilliant short film.

• El Hombre I

  
  It's a disturbing movie that will push a lot of hot buttons because of its' straight-ahead treatment of the subject matter. The lead, Anamaria Marinca, gives one of those understated performances, typical of European cinema, as we watch her go from plucky to exploited,… More
  It's a disturbing movie that will push a lot of hot buttons because of its' straight-ahead treatment of the subject matter. The lead, Anamaria Marinca, gives one of those understated performances, typical of European cinema, as we watch her go from plucky to exploited, violated and emotionally overwhelmed. A Hollywood movie could never address this subject matter so directly and, even if it could, it's hard to imagine that it would take such an emotionally involved yet politically detached view. It would add a popular hollywood face in the lead for the audience in a cheap attempt to pull at the heartstrings faster rather than an everyday woman. Taking place over the course of a single day, Mungiu's film is a real work of modern filmmaking that will stay with you long after. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view¤t=4months.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/4months.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• Brian D

  
  Cant say i enjoyed this movie.Its a slow burning story with some good performances.It is a hard story to tell and may not be to everyone taste.

• Tim S

  
  Great film. Contains one of the most unnerving scenes I have seen in recent memory. I am a sucker for long takes and this is chock full of them. It builds suspense and atmosphere that works amazingly well here. The lead actress and the guy who plays the doctor are astounding. Again,… More
  Great film. Contains one of the most unnerving scenes I have seen in recent memory. I am a sucker for long takes and this is chock full of them. It builds suspense and atmosphere that works amazingly well here. The lead actress and the guy who plays the doctor are astounding. Again, there is a shot in this film that is hard to shake off, however you feel about the abortion movie. American films should take note of how to handle a "controversial" issue and really get some sense of the oppressive life that some people have to lead.

• Arash X

  
  Cold & bitter &...overrated

• Ross C

  
  Two students in communist Romania during the '80s seek out an illegal abortion. Despite a slow start this film imparts a very powerful message when it comes to the crux.

• Sarah G

  
  <u>Director:</u>Cristian Mungiu <u>Released:</u> 2007 <u>Stars:</u> Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov and Alexandru Potocean <u>Genre:</u> Drama <u>Country:</u> Romania <a… More
  <u>Director:</u>Cristian Mungiu <u>Released:</u> 2007 <u>Stars:</u> Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov and Alexandru Potocean <u>Genre:</u> Drama <u>Country:</u> Romania <a href="http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q202/sarah88_uk/?action=view¤t=3months.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q202/sarah88_uk/3months.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> Drama about a woman who assists her friend to arrange an illegal abortion in 1980's Romania. I have to admit that this is the first ever Romanian film that I've seen, oddly I'm not familiar with any others. This is aboslutly superb indeed. Possibly one of the best of the decade for me. Oozing with naturalism and splendid scenery of Romainia. 4 months is a film you're unlikely to forget. Compared with Mike Leigh's Vera Drake(2004) 4 months, takes a slightly more grittier stance on the abortion theme and takes it to the next level. Where in Vera Drake you were only given hints at what might me happening, showing the equipment used but that's it. As you can imagine you se far more in this. Naturally it would have ben slightly more diffculy in '80's Romania under communism than '50s Britian which wasn't-but both were iilegal at that time. The style of the piece is incredibly naturalistic, as I've said before, and this really gets you into the picture and understand the feelings and thoughts of every single character. At times we see a hand held camera, which again adds to the already conterversial theme. It also creates a sense of what life must have been like under communist Romania and what the characters must of had to go through whilst undertaking abortions. The direction is fantastic. The tracking shots throught the film, which follow Ollia as she searchers for the right hotel or searching for the right place in general.(can't give too much away) I'm sure many viewers would gets frustrated or irritated at the film and sense a long drawn out film. But it's what you're excatly meant to feel. It relates to the context of that era. Which is abously brilliant, what every film should be. Playing with the audience means you're on for a turly great film. Acting is splendid. The film belongs to Otillia (played by Anamaria Marinca.) Her character commands the screen and drives the stroy forward. Love the use of external lights which folows Otilia through the horror of what she is doing. Overall; 4 months is a brilliant character driven drama and shows the horror of attempting abortion whilst iilegal in a communist country. Shows the horror that the women had to face also. Direction,acting,cinemtography and script are flawless. Absolutly superb. A masterpiece

• Luke B

  
  A difficult subject is dealt with in a bleak, uncompromising but stylistically fantastic film. The direction is beautifully restrained, mostly allowing for the actors to work in their confined spaces. The long takes help only to enhance the grim reality of the film keeping the focus… More
  A difficult subject is dealt with in a bleak, uncompromising but stylistically fantastic film. The direction is beautifully restrained, mostly allowing for the actors to work in their confined spaces. The long takes help only to enhance the grim reality of the film keeping the focus on the two girls. Substance over style is the best way to describe this film, no quick jarring editing, no erreatic camera work. Great performances keep the attention during the long dialogue scenes and the film never attempts to sucker the audience in with needless twists or contrivances. The relationship between the girls, and even the manner of Mr. Bebe ignite characters that are easy to imagine outside the context of the film. They are real people, their dialogue is real as are their actions. Simple, effective and damn stunning cinema.

• Jennifer X

  
  Wow, that girl is a killer bitch. THE underrated movie of the year and easily the most evocative. The story is deceptively simple but the editing and camerawork keep the tension going in a somehow cerebral way. Worth watching again and then some.

• Gordon A

  
  Harrowing, gritty portrayal of the horrors of obtaining an illegal abortion in '80s Romania. Powerful argument for legalizing abortion with a standout performance from Marinca. Makes 'Vera Drake' seem quaint.

• Lorenzo v

  
  If you need a more shocking documentary than the ones on Discovery, National Geographic or Reality, try out this movie. I guarantee you will get more than you have bargained for. I simply watched the movie out of curiosity and I was profoundly shocked by the story. Maybe you are… More
  If you need a more shocking documentary than the ones on Discovery, National Geographic or Reality, try out this movie. I guarantee you will get more than you have bargained for. I simply watched the movie out of curiosity and I was profoundly shocked by the story. Maybe you are shocked because you know it is not a story, but because you know that these things really happened. Mungiu really nailed it down. I would even dare say that if you liked "Lost in Translation" you would definitely like this one. I'm not a fan of Romanian movies but this one grabbed me. A must see foreign movie.

• Eric B

  
  Even as a long-time Jim Jarmusch lover, I found this film rather slow. I suppose a "real time" approach was the best way to tell the story, but this created an awful lot of dead space having to endure dull, perfunctory behavior. The film needed editing and took too long to… More
  Even as a long-time Jim Jarmusch lover, I found this film rather slow. I suppose a "real time" approach was the best way to tell the story, but this created an awful lot of dead space having to endure dull, perfunctory behavior. The film needed editing and took too long to reveal its main plot (did we really need all that early muddling about the dorm, and attention paid to buying cigarettes?), and I couldn't help but think that a "60 Minutes" segment could have made the same point in a fraction of the time. Now, I'm off to check www.romaniatourism.com, because I just *know* all of Romania can't be as bleak and miserable as it appears in this film.

• Mike N

  
  Shredding the robot axe across the interminable maw of space! [img]http://www.worth1000.com/entries/410500/410753hnPM_w.jpg[/img]

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" is a compelling if flawed drama that takes place in 1987 in Romania after abortion had been banned. At a university, Otilia's(Anamaria Marinca), friend and roommate, Gabita(Laura Vasiliu), is in need of one, so during… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" is a compelling if flawed drama that takes place in 1987 in Romania after abortion had been banned. At a university, Otilia's(Anamaria Marinca), friend and roommate, Gabita(Laura Vasiliu), is in need of one, so during the course of one emotionally draining day, Otilia has to finalize the arrangements before meeting the abortionist(Vlad Ivanov). To complicate matters futher, her boyfriend, Adi(Alexandru Potocean), has commanded Otilia's presence at his mother's birthday party because she made her merengue(that has got to be one darn good merengue!) and not to forget the flowers...[/font] [font=Century Gothic]While superbly depicting the nightmare of a society where women are little more than breeding stock(you didn't expect me to take the Evil Commie approach, did you?), "4 Days, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" takes some of the edge off with Gabita's flighty demeanor which redirects some of the blame on to herself.(In other words, if she screwed up so many parts of the appointment, what other mistakes is she capable of making?) But the viewer does not judge her and neither does Otilia. And for the most part, it is Otilia's story, as she wonders could this same thing happen to her?(I am also thinking, is she pregnant, too?) But it is hardly believable that she should leave her friend in her darkest hour after all she has done, just to go to the party.(A close friend once said her friends came first and I do believe that to be a universal sentiment.) I think writer/director Christian Mungiu constructed the story this way to create tension and suspense where none were needed, along with throwing a couple of red herrings into the mix. And his technique of shooting with a handheld camera suggests exquisite naturalism, but he also favors static shots which a little editing could have gone a long way to improve.[/font]

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