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Plot: A drama set in Bucharest during the "golden" years of Communism, about the horrors of the Securitate, and the brutality and absurdness of its methods used.
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:September 27, 2008How come Borders gets exclusive rights to sell this movie? Snobby bastitches cheating the average filmgoer out of watching a potentially brilliant and thought-provoking film.
>:(
Well, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days isn't for everybody. Many could argue that it's a slow-paced film taking a simple subject and stretching it out unnecessarily. In a nutshell, it's a film about a woman Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) helping her clueless roomie Gabita (Laura Vasiliu) go through an illegal abortion over the course of one day. On a grand scale, it's a film about people making hasty or desperate decisions under communist rule. Someone remarked that it's also a film about consequences of actions; the actions aren't shown explicitly on-screen, but we do see the aftermath, most of which tend to show discomfort, trauma, or degradation. Otilia is the sole character that carries this huge amount of weight on her back that she always considers the alternative of what may happen. She's willing to compromise her life or even goals just to help her friend, although by the end I'm not sure if she'd dare remain a friend/roommate to Gabita.
It may appear that Anamaria Marinca has very little to work with, but considering how much her character went through, she pulls off that victimization and inner-struggle very well. Quite certainly one of the best, if not, the best, showcase of acting this decade has seen yet. Let's not dismiss Laura Vasiliu, who pulls off that inane helpless role that'd make you wanna strangle her character if given the chance. Vlad Ivanov is the vicious Mr. Bebe who performs the procedure... vicious fucker, he is, 'nuff said. And lastly, there's Otilia's boyfriend Adi, played by Alexandru Potocean, who is always insistent and thinking too much of himself; always the problem of relationships.
Anyway, the film's events are shown as absolute, so many viewers could offer differing interpretations. Many scenes continue for quite a lengthy period without any cuts or camera movement, but the director captures fixated moments to provoke a certain feeling each character may feel. Raw and gritty, and what's more is that there's no soundtrack to boot. Everything is driven by silence, dialogue, or movement. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is more than just a film about abortions nor taking any sides on the issue. It's a film about how choices can be unpleasant, but it does lead to revealing something about you, or those around you. -
MCT:September 9, 2008
Ruthless but subtle with great acting performances. Makes me feel good not to have lived in that time and place.
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MCT:August 26, 2008Cristian Mungiu?s harrowing tale of two young women negotiating a black-market abortion, 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days, is one of those movies whose details stick with you. Its opening frame isolates a table in a college dorm room; the camera lingers there, unmoving, as smoke curls upward from a cigarette left burning in an ashtray and a goldfish swims in a small tank whose back has been papered with a black-and-white street scene. Before a hand reaches into the frame to reclaim the cigarette and end the shot, a title identifies the setting as ?Romania, 1987,? and though you haven?t even met the characters, you get a sense that, like the fish, they?ve grown accustomed to the narrow parameters of their lives.
The shot lasts longer than you expect, and that sort of patience is just one way the director expresses his trust in the audience. There?s no music telling you what to feel; there?s almost no camera movement telling you where to look. Instead of cutting from establishing shot to medium shot to close-up, Mungiu and talented cinematographer Oleg Mutu carefully compose their wide-screen tableaux and then stick with them for minutes at a time, letting characters walk in and out of view and letting your eye wander around the screen and pick out salient details. Human nature being what it is, once you settle into the movie?s steady gaze, you?re inclined to trust a storyteller who trusts you.
In a truly great movie the form becomes indistinguishable from the story, and that?s certainly the case here. 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days is about a woman trying to preserve her capacity to trust while living in a society corrupted by suspicion. Otilia, played with silent intensity by Anamaria Marinca, has agreed to help her flaky roommate, Gabita (Laura Vasiliu), procure an abortion, which is illegal under the communist regime. They?ve grown up with the black market?an early scene shows Otilia casually purchasing cigarettes from a supplier in the dorm?but when they allow the icy Mr. Bebe (Vlad Ivanov) into their hotel room, neither woman seems to realize how far they?ve ventured outside the law?s protection. As their day grows increasingly horrible, Otilia?s closest relationships are compromised, either because the other person violates her trust or because she violates theirs. (Please note: spoilers follow.)
Nearly every scene involves some sort of haggling?even Otilia?s brief encounter with her boyfriend centers on his insistence that she come to dinner at his parents? house that evening. When Otilia arrives at the hotel, the officious clerk at the front desk has no record of Gabita?s reservation and challenges Otilia?s claim that her friend called ahead. Forced to try another hotel, Otilia is interrogated by the receptionist, who demands her ID and bluntly asks why she and her friend need a hotel room when they live in a nearby dorm. In each scene Mungiu uses the front desk to bisect the frame, placing Otilia in opposition to her inquisitor, and each of them lords it over her with rudeness and long silences. Though the movie isn?t overtly political, it captures the chilly emotional terrain of life in a country where the government?s rigid control has filtered down to everyday transactions.
This climate of suspicion intensifies with the arrival of Mr. Bebe, whose services have been recommended to the women by one of their friends. ?Trust is vital,? he insists at one point. But can he trust them? He expected to confer with Gabita before they arrived at the hotel, but she sent Otilia as her proxy. He specified two hotels where they could operate, but Otilia has brought him to a third, where the nosy receptionist has confiscated his ID. Upon examining Gabita he discovers she isn?t two months pregnant, as she?s claimed, but three or even four, which would elevate their crime to murder under the law. The last straw comes when the women, who?ve spent more than they planned on the hotel room, try to negotiate a lower price for the procedure. When Mr. Bebe finally explodes, cowing them into submission, the crucial trust of the doctor-patient relationship is savagely violated.
Mungiu?s restraint becomes an even greater asset as the story?s emotions grow more brutal. One of the most impressive scenes comes after the procedure, when Otilia has reluctantly left Gabita alone to await her induced miscarriage and trucked to her boyfriend?s house for her dinner commitment. The frame accommodates not only the young couple and the boy?s parents but also, at least partially, their four adult dinner guests. Despite all the talking and gesticulating, you can?t tear your eyes away from Otilia as she sits in silence, isolated by her secret. When the telephone rings unanswered in the next room?possibly Gabita calling for help?the tension is excruciating. The sense of isolation becomes even more acute after dinner, when Otilia tells her boyfriend about the abortion and they argue bitterly. He can?t understand her level of anger because she doesn?t reveal the worst part of the story: to pay for the procedure, both she and Gabita agreed to have sex with Mr. Bebe.
Given the sexual extortion at the center of the movie, one might easily view it as a tale of feminist outrage. Otilia?s hostility toward her boyfriend certainly feels legitimate: when he reprimands her, she acidly reminds him about the time he thoughtlessly came inside her. But Mungiu subverts this easy reading in two important ways. First, Otilia has betrayed her boyfriend?s trust rather than vice versa, and compounds the offense with her silence; and second, her own trust has been betrayed by Gabita. After their ordeal, Otilia questions Gabita about the sequence of events that led to it and discovers that her friend?for whom she?s risked and sacrificed so much?has lied to her. In the masterful final shot the two women sit in the hotel restaurant, dancing couples at a wedding reception visible through the windows behind them. When Gabita begins to revisit the day?s events, Otilia cuts her off: ?You know what we?re going to do? We?re never going to talk about this.?
Of course one might argue that the ultimate betrayal of trust is the abortion itself, the results of which are graphically portrayed when Otilia returns to the hotel room from the little dinner party. As Otilia goes into the bathroom, Mungiu holds on her face, registering her awestruck expression, before panning down to show the pink fetus?aged four months, three weeks, and two days?wrapped in a tatty white hotel towel, covered in congealed amniotic fluid, its eyes swollen shut. In a more manipulative movie this prolonged shot might seem like the ultimate exploitation, but by this time you?re accustomed to looking at events head-on and making your own value judgments. This is a movie about not what could be or should be, but simply what is. -
MCT:August 25, 2008
One of the best films made recently. The cinematography, the long takes, are amazing. A weird, but extremely awesome, quality of the film is that it seems to use a handheld camera in most parts, but the compositions aren't freeform, and are often really tight and well-thought out.
Anamaria Marinca's performance is probably the best of 2007.
The plotline is taut and heartbreaking. The story is told with an unflinching honesty, beautiful and consistent motif-work, and a really really really awesome ending.
But I'm blathering, just go rent it right away or something. -
MCT:August 15, 2008
SET DURING A PERIOD IN BUCHAREST WHERE ABORTION WAS ILEGAL, and story following two sisters atempts to get one done, and the outcome and feelings afterwards. a well acted and observed drama, showing the times and laws that need debating
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MCT:August 7, 2008
I don't know, it was a good movie but something about it put me off and I just can't say that I liked it.
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MCT:August 3, 2008GLORIOUS! GLORIOUS! GLORIOUS!
Acting is impeccable (top notch) and incredibly believable. So believable in fact that the conversation about the abortion made me feel extremely queasy and desirous of ending the film (I am squeamish of nature) - that's how real it was.
Definitely haven't seen such brilliant actors in a while...!
Story flows along smoothly, with just the right amount of suspense to keep us on the edge of our seats.
The ending blew me away! It was so simple yet so poignant.
Probably the best thing that's happened to foreign cinema in the year 2008 (or was it at the end of 2007? Pff, doesn't matter! I'm sure it owns the foreign films of 2007 anyhow!). -
MCT:August 2, 2008
Very hard to watch and well made Romanian film. It really captures a time-period (1984) well and you really feel for the blonde woman in the film who has to be the strong one and do all the work in getting her roommate set up for the abortion and help her through it. The things she does and sacfrices for the roommate....Just wow!
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MCT:July 19, 2008
Not for the faint-hearted, this movie is disturbing and feels very realistic. Abortion is such a touchy topic, but this foreign film is so in your face-and the acting is great.
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MCT:July 18, 2008
an existentialist feature that wallows in its darkness along with cruel ironies, a sense of unparalled realism is striking within the screenplay and its characters, shocking subject matter with an outstanding touch
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MCT:July 14, 2008If Walter says he wishes this movie would never end, that's more than a good reason to add it to my queue.
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MCT:July 13, 2008
The first few minutes of the film is very slow paced and seems like a low budget film with no ambition. But as the story goes on, the journey which the two main characters are going through is quite disturbing and difficult, and we can see how the style completes the content of the film.
If you like Lars Von Trier filmmaking style, 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS and 2 DAYS might be a picture which could be interesting in terms of its storytelling and camerawork. -
MCT:July 10, 20084 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days is a Romanian Gus Van Sant picture, basically. It's renowned the world over, winner of the Palme D'Or, highly praised by many critics and flixster friends. It's also one of the worst fucking movies I've endured in quite a while. But I shouldn't use the term "movie". Saying "movie" implies that something actually moves. But nothing - not characters, not plot, not story, not camera - moves in this film, ever, at any time. The only thing I hate more than overlong, over drawn out crap films that say and do nothing but take an inordinate amount of time to do that in, are when those films are so highly praised and critically acclaimed. 4 Months is the worst offender of this since Paranoid Park, and is actually even worse than that film.
I'm pissed, right now. I'm pissed that I wasted 2 hours of my life with this movie. I'm pissed everyone loves it so much. I'm pissed that me and my dad had to watch this together on one of the rare times we can actually see a movie at the same time (and he disliked it almost as much as me - and he adores foreign films). Above all, though, I'm pissed that my admittence of hating this film will damage my snotty film reviewer cred. It's true. I know, because I'm usually just as snobby and pretentious as everyone else on flixster that actually cares about movies. That's the main problem with foriegn films - no one seems to be able to say they dislike one. I had the same problem last year with Cache, another painfully dull and tedious foreign film that was just as praised and almost as shitty as 4 Months. People who read this review will probably think I'm just some annoying ADD inflicted teenager who likes big boobs and guns and explosions in the theatre with lots of fast cuts and profanity. That's not the case. What I like are movies with a point. A story. An arc or two for characters to follow. Above all, I want the movies I watch to be even minimally interesting experiences. 4 Months is never interesting, at any point. And what's worse, it seems like they deliberately TRY to make this film as boring and frustrating as possible.
So here's the story of 4 Months, as little there is to tell. Two roomates seek out an abortionist because one is pregnant. They can't afford it, the man's an asshole, so they have to sell their bodies to pay for the rest. So the abortion begins, the one roomate goes to a dinner at her boyfriend's house, comes back and gets rid of the baby. The end. No, seriously. That's the whole movie, told in two sentences. This is, at best, a half hour long film, paaaaaaainfully stretched out to 2 hours. There is clearly very little plot. But movies with almost no plot can sometimes still manage to be interesting or even exciting films - hell, look at Ingmar Bergman's resume. Not here. Dialogue is stilted, tedious, and cryptic. The acting is so naturalistic it's practically invisible - imagine being forced to watch 2 hours of the most boring friends you have argue and talk, and that's what we have here. The camera either glides around handheld, rambling along, or it stays completely still and stilted, never moving, never cutting. Edits are few and far between; scenes go on for so long, and then keep going, and then keep going STILL, that there were times I was just about ready to commit suicide, just so the scene could end. To prove how painful this is to endure, I want to mention two different sort of scenes. The first was when the girl goes to a hotel to check into her room. She's denied this, because of a mix up. But the camera lingers there, watches this argument unfold, for probably close to 4 or 5 minutes. And we just keep watching these two people argue, as two people would in real life. Then she finally gives up, and goes to another hotel - where we're treated to ANOTHER checking in scene, also probably around 5 minutes long. As if once wasn't bad enough, the director feels the need to treat us to the same basic scene TWICE. The second scene I want to mention is one which even the film's many supporters often complain about, the dinner scene. The main character sits in front of the unmoving, uncutting camera, obviously conflicted and upset about the day, as people around her endlessly talk and eat. Nothing happens in this scene - we're just supposed to see how distracted she is. But we get that point after a minute of film. This scene goes on for TEN FUCKING MINUTES. TEN. MINUTES. Where all we see are people chabbering on about pointless stuff from their day. It's mind boggling. Say what you will about there being a reason and a point to that - ultimately, it's blinded arrogance and pretentiousness from the director, and it made me absolutely livid. But even the scenes where something does happen, something of importance does occur; oftentimes, it made no realistic sense. The moment where the girls whore themselves out, basically, to get the abortion done, should have been it's most powerful scene. But I never believed it. If they were sisters, maybe, or possibly lovers, I'd buy it. But they're just roomates - call me cynical, but if my roomate wanted me to be raped by a stranger for him, I'd tell him to climb a tree.
I think I know that the filmmaker is trying to give us a slice of life type experience, almost pseudo-documentary if you will. But if I wanted to watch full length, rambly arguments between two people, I'd just go experience real life. Movies are not supposed to give us these full on discussions from beginning to end. Their purpose is to give us snapshots of these moments - plunk us in when things get interesting, then pull us out when the information's been given to further the story. None of these scenes further the story, or development of the characters - all they due is willfully dare us to be bored out of our skulls. And people refuse to give in. "Oh, it's art. It's masterful". Fuck no. It's a waste of time is what it is. Great movies don't have to be a painful endurance. Great movies can, y'know, actually be fun to watch sometimes. Every now and then, the film would give us something of interest. The escape scene in the end also goes on for too long, of course, but there is at least a liiiiiittle bit of tension in these scenes. The asshole character who provides the abortion is frustrating, yes, but at least he has a personality, and doesn't just trudge through the entire film being dour and whispering endlessly, like the other two main characters. But if we don't care about these characters, and never know anything about them, how are we supposed to maintain interest in their plight? The film doesn't give us a point of entry. There's no drama, no emotion, no power, nothing to move or inspire or shock us. It's just a blob, this flick - a dull, boring, turgid blob that everyone but me adores.
Anyways. Clearly I'm annoyed and upset over wasting my evening watching 4 Months. What I ask of you is simple - see this film, sure, if you want to. But think for yourself. If you think it's shit - like, if you really believe it's crap, and wether you admire it's "artistry" or not doesn't come in the way of your personal emotional beliefs....then please, for the love of God, just come out and say it. Don't feel like you have to shun what you're thinking just because the movie is foreign, critically acclaimed, universally praised. And hell, if you think Transformers is a better movie than this, than by all means, go ahead and admit it. You may lose your cred, but hey, there'll always be at least one snobby asshole on this site that'll still respect you. -
MCT:July 9, 2008
Worst thing about this movie is that it ended. I could have sat through another twenty minutes of this with no complaints.
I won't say it was engaging from start to finish but, about twenty minutes into it I was completely engaged.
A fantastic drama that's well worth checking out. -
MCT:July 4, 2008
The acting is good and the premise is decent, but frankly i found the execution to be both dull and depressing.
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MCT:July 2, 2008
A depressing, dark look at two women in Bucharest who try to get an illegal abortion. Great acting and direction, with some really unsettling and unique scenes. Very emotional and powerful.
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MCT:July 1, 2008
Mungiu has created a masterpiece of intimate desperation, a film which will long resonate with it honest, bracing and unflinching narrative; a real compassionate work of art.
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MCT:June 29, 2008This powerful story of a back-alley abortion feels like a documentary & provokes you to consider both sides of a woman's right to choose.
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MCT:June 28, 2008
Grand gagnant de la Palme d'Or de Cannes 2007, le film de Mungiu en est un qui laisse les évènements parler d'eux-même et qui n'encombre pas de dialogues superflus la fluidité du développement du film. L'histoire débute simplement dans la routine du régime communiste roumain en 1987, soit deux ans avant la fameuse chute symbolique de l'URSS par l'entremise de la démolition du mur de Berlin. Avec deux actrices superbes dans les rôles d'Ottila et de Gabriela et un Vlad Ivanov en grande forme dans les pieds de Monsieur Bebe, tous les éléments sont en place pour faire de 4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile un incontournable du cinéma européen.
Mungiu pousse l'audace plus loin encore dans certaines scènes, comme celle où l'on assiste à un souper de famille pendant une bonne dizaine de minutes avec un plan fixe, témoins de conversations banales et anodines tandis que le personnage principal, entouré de connaissances et suffocant presque de manque d'intimité, a pourtant un regard vitreux qui la distancie des autres personnages. Dans une telle oeuvre, il faut dire que drame et suspense se mêlent fortement pour donner naissance à un poupon romain mort né, qui ne laisse guère entrevoir des beaux jours pour la Roumanie et ses habitants. -
MCT:June 26, 2008
I hate it when I like movies with pretentious titles. I thought this was going to be pro-choice propaganda, but it's actually really fucked up. When this chick doesn't have enough money for her back-alley abortion, the abortionist suggests he'd be willing to rape her best friend as payment. And before they can think it over really, both the girls just let it happen. The rest of the movie is them dealing with the messed up repercussions of that, and sort of feels like Breaking the Waves without the sadistic misogyny. The photography on this is fucking amazing, the kind that'll never ever get acknowledged by the kind of awards that mistake pretty landscapes for good camera work.
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this movie is so good. It drake but really beutfiul. enen thought I did not understand the langugh but was really in to the story i wish they made Amarican movie that are this good. the story is smart and ingagening that keep s the audance on the edage of there seat. the acting is wounderful. this movie is defently a must see
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MCT:June 25, 2008
Director:Cristian Mungiu
Released: 2007
Stars: Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov and Alexandru Potocean
Genre: Drama
Country: Romania
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 -
MCT:June 21, 2008
a really tough movie.not for everyone.....an absolutely mind-blowing realisation,one piece of great actrice,one brilliant and non-hollywood director,one country you expect the worst about,one era where such things were common,but hidden to the simple eye and voila the recipe for a great movie....mungiu's movie so different from anything elese i have seen before i absolutely couldn't get my mind off it for hours after leaving the cinema....some might dismiss it for the long scenes,but i think the reason why they were used was because of its naturalism - you have the impression like you are watching the drama happening,but you can't interfere.it tackles an embaracing and shocking subject and so it hurts our esthetic eye,but it's one kick that could wake you up to reality : life is never as pretty and doesn't always have a hollywood happy ending.i still wonder : "would i ever do what anamaria marinca's character is doing?". it's a great story of sacrifice in the name of friendship,and not a story on communism and abortion.
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MCT:June 19, 2008Oh, Jesus Chris Almighty. I can't believe that they gave the Palm D'or to this. I wanted to blow my brains out.
My Friends Said...
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (4 luni, 3 saptamini si 2 zile) Recent Reviews
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Comments
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Ddor3posted 205 days ago -
either in this way, you would NOT been impressed. communism wasn't just about the prohibition of abortion and meanings of screwing the system. it was about much more, much more horrifying that was presented in Mungiu's movie. this is (sadly), just the story of a poor, unlucky girl that gets knocked up...
posted 247 days ago -
I guess you have to feel concerned in some way in order to really appreciate this movie. If you lived in that period of time in Romania, or heard stories from relatives you will not be indifferent to this.
posted 289 days ago
