4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, 2007 - ★★★★★

An absolutely riveting work of realism about two women undergoing an utterly harrowing ordeal. In late ‘80s Romania, Otilia helps to facilitate her roommate and friend Gabita’s black market abortion. It’s a process that I, as a guy, can only imagine is difficult enough as it is, but it plays out here in unbelievably cold, cruel, and traumatic circumstances, ones borne out of a legal system that forces women into dangerous predicaments. Shot in a series of flawlessly executed handheld long takes (reminiscent of the Dardennes’ filmmaking), Mungiu’s frames tremble with tension, and powerfully exude and Gabita’s anxiety and trepidation as the process unfolds. When the doctor arrives, his soft-spoken voice makes his unsympathetic sarcasm and condescension...

Proper Review
Mar 28th 2020
Full review >>
Like Love Haha Wow Sad Angry Hmm Dislike