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Product Description
Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 10/14/2008 Run time: 113 minutes

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There was a loud outcry when Romania's 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days failed to garner a 2008 Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film, and it could certainly be argued that this extraordinary movie was unfairly overlooked. At the very least, had it been nominated, it would have offered a stark contrast to Best Picture contender Juno. Whereas the latter is a funny, touching tale of a teenage girl who decides to find more suitable parents for her soon-to-be-born child, 4 Months is a decidedly bleak look at a time and place when one of the two alternatives to adoption (i.e., keeping the child) is beyond consideration and the other is an illegal, highly dangerous last resort. It takes a while for the viewer to realize that abortion is the subject of director Cristian Mungiu's film; for the first 40 minutes or so, all we know is that Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) and Gabita (Laura Vasiliu), college roommates in a country still controlled by the Ceausescu dictatorship, are up to something they'd prefer to keep secret. Gabita, it develops, is pregnant. She is also an innocent, scared screw-up who's unable to handle any of the necessary details involved in solving her problem, which obliges the far more capable Otilia to take care of everything from booking the hotel and meeting the abortionist to buying black market cigarettes for the pair. What follows is anything but cute, clever, or romantic. Mr. Bebe (Vlad Ivanov), the abortionist, is a straightforward but frightening character who demands more than money for his services. Meanwhile, Adi, Otilia's boyfriend, is a decent but essentially clueless fellow who insists that she attend his mother's birthday party on the very day that the two girls have checked into the hotel where Gabita's procedure takes place; the two scenes in which we meet Bebe and Adi's parents, reveal Mongiu's mastery of his medium and are at once intense, discomfiting, and completely riveting. And if Oscar voters missed the boat, many other didn't: among numerous other plaudits for the film was the '07 Palme d'Or at Cannes. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

What A Difference A Day Makes January 24, 2008
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

Some films are able to dazzle you without the use of special effects, big Hollywood stars and nudity. They manage to crawl under your skin and get inside you. They leave an indeliable mark on you. Cristian Mungiu's "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile)" is such a film. And easily one of the best films of 2007!

Whatever the reason, currently Romanian is a hot property. People and critics are just buzzing with excitement about what is going on in Romanian cinema. And even though I'm not Romanian (I'm Hungarian) I'm pretty excited about it too.

In 2006 there was the release of "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu", besides "4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile", also released in 2007 was "12:08 East of Bucharest". These three films seem to be part of a new wave in Romanian film. Each takes on modern day society while questioning the past. All three are confrontational.

"4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" takes place during a 24 hour period in which a young girl, Gabita Dragut (Laura Vasiliu) seeks an abortion in Ceausescu's Romania. At the time such acts were against the law. She needs the help of her roommate, Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) to sort out the details and supply some support, since the father of the child is not only never seen but never spoken of either.

The two girls get in contact with Bebe (Vlad Ivanou) through a mutual friend. Bebe is the only person who will perform an abortion after the 4th month, this is how the film gets its title. That is how long Gabita has been pregnant. Bebe though does not seem like a trust worthy kind of guy. He has something up his sleeve. But he will not be the end of their problems.

The film sets itself up as a thriller and believe it or not, it is suspenseful. There are no chase sequences, no cops and robbers, just the suspense that the two girls will get found out and risk prison and worst yet may have physical damage done to them.

Though the characters never speak directly about politics, Mungiu and his cinematographer, Oleg Mutu (who also shot "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu) very in subtle ways tell the viewer about life under Ceausescu. We can sense the paranoia of the times and the government control. ID's are contantly asked for and checked. Streets are empty. Everyone buys supplies from the black market. Even if you are not familiar we the history of Romanian we can see or at least get a sense of what life was like under the times.

The film is fully conceived and realized by Mungiu who has directed only one other feature film entitled "Occident". Every character is believeable as is their situation. I never questioned whether or not what was on-screen could or could not happen. It is accepted as truth. But the standout performances are given by the girls. Neither has much experience. Marinca has a brief role in Francis Ford Coppola's "Youth Without Youth", also set in Romania. And Vasiliu has only acted in one other film, Nicolae Margineau's masterpiece "Bless You, Prison". With such little acting experience how on Earth did these girl pull off these roles? They are the heart and soul of the film and deserve every bit of acclaim they get for this movie and more.

And the film has been getting acclaim. It was the winner of the Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It won a prize at the Chicago Film Critics Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe. Sadly though, it has received no Oscar nominations, showing the Academy's prejudice towards countries on the eastern side of the Berlin Wall.

Mingiu says the film is only the first part of a series he plans on making ironically entitled "Tales From the Golden Age". I look forward to seeing all of them.

Bottom-line: One of 2007's best films. An intense film that becomes all the more shocking when you think "this feels true". Two strong performances by the young girls in the film are highlights.

5 out of 5 stars

Some background info January 27, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

I think there are some facts that people not familiar with Romanian history need to know in order to better understand the movie. Since the Ceausescu's goal was to increase the population, not only the abortion was illegal but the contraception was also non-existent. Young people were also not educated in family planning at all. Occasionally one could buy contraceptive pills from dubious sources on the black market, but overall, besides using the calendar method (highly unreliable for many women), the abortion was the immediate mean to avoid an unplanned pregnancy.
The movie is excellent and there is no need for spoilers however, since people will react accordingly depending on their stance toward abortion, I think it is important to mention that abortion was not illegal on moral grounds. It was a state policy to increase the population which made contraception and family planning education also illegal or at least non-existent.
Ironically, statistics showed that the population did not increase nowhere near close to what was expected.

4 out of 5 stars

The Best Friend February 15, 2008
9 out of 12 found this review helpful

Gabita (Laura Vasiliu) is pregnant, clueless and yet realizes, though against the laws of the land she lives in: Romania circa 1987 under a Ceausescu dictatorship, that she needs an abortion. Her college room mate, Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) is beyond reason more than concerned and ready to help her friend. And help her friend she does: driving her to the hotel, securing the money to pay for and doing just about anything she can do to help her friend terminate an unwanted pregnancy. But what are Otilia's real motives? Is she so against Ceausescu's policy of population enrichment that she would risk her personal safety, break the law of the land, is she in love with Gabita and thus willing to do anything to make her happy or is she merely pro-abortion? It really is never quite clear though the details of director Cristian Mungiu's film are fascinating to watch as this world is as foreign to most Westerners as the world of "Star Wars" or "Alien."
The dramatic propulsion here is one of, not only what is going to happen next but one of what is this world, what is this time, what are the principles of life and day-to-day living that we are watching here? Why is Otilia so dedicated to Gabita who proves to be a cipher: young, dumb, silly, unaware...yet there is that nagging feeling that Gabita brings Otilia along for some other reason having to do with the abortionist: the evil, smarmy Mr. Bebe (Vlad Ivanov), who is obviously out for something more than the money.
"4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days" is a puzzle: a puzzle that has no definite resolution. Yet with that said, it is also very simple recalling the movies of Ken Loach in it's refusal to shy away from the ugliness of everyday life and the vagaries and tribulations of the people who inhabit it. This film is not easy to love and it certainly is not easy to fully understand but the cumulative images of it amount to something real, something thoughtful and something important. And that in itself makes it easy for me to recommend.

5 out of 5 stars

Powerfully Deep, Intense And A Brilliant Masterwork!! February 3, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

"4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile" is a Romanian film from director Cristian Mungiu, and starring Anamaria Marinca as Otilia, a young woman who illegally helps her roommate Gabita (Laura Vasiliu) with an illegal abortion.

Now, based on what the synopsis is, one would think that it's not very intense. I thought that way too, but when I read reviews that stated it to be incredibly intense, I knew I had to see it. So I was able to drag my family to the movies to see the movie, and I was jumping out of my skin in excitement, but was still a bit nervous about too much intensity.

The intensity wasn't as big as I had wished it to be, but I must say I was very nervous and waiting for the next thing to happen. Don't let the synopsis mislead you; "4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile" is a very, very, VERY intense film, although it's not as intense as some people make it out to be.

What I loved most about the film is that Mungiu filmed it so that the camera stayed on the actors for extended periods of time to heighten the intensity and emotion. There were only about thirty shots in the movie, but it worked so incredibly well that it actually blew my mind.

"4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile" is one of the most powerful movies I have ever seen. I must warn, though, that it is very adult, has very adult content, and there is some very important paying attention needed with some very obscure and subtle things that are said in the movie.

But, this is a very intense and very powerful movie that is sure to be a winner of an Academy Award. It is a must-see for anybody who wants an excellent movie!

5 out of 5 stars

'4 Months' Oscar night absence a 'botched' oversight by the MPAA March 1, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

We saw "4 Months..." shortly after reading David Ansen's scorching and on-target rant in Newsweek that said "Oscar botches the best foreign films. Again."

Indeed. This deserving movie garnered a prime list of accolades. Ansen summarizes it best: "[It] won the Palme d'Or in Cannes and the European Film Award; it was voted best foreign film by both the National Society of Film Critics and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Not only was it not nominated for an Oscar, it failed to make the shortlist of nine films announced several weeks ago." How tone-deaf can you be?

The movie is justly deserving of the awards. College students and roommates Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) and Gabita (Laura Vasiliu) navigate their way though mid-80s Romania - portrayed here vididly and starkly by writer/director Cristian Mungiu as ill-lit, pot-holed, sclerotic, labyrinth and dominated by black markets and backroom dealing. The lack of a soundtrack adds to the urgency and starkness of the film. And, contrary to Gabita's waverings on just how far along she is, the title of the film tells you that - quite the opposite - she knows the moment of conception down to the very day. Her vagueness on this matter is not an unimportant point, so Mungiu's choice of title is a small masterstroke.

Best scene: Otilia meeting her boyfriend's parents (and their friends) for the first time...she's just left Gabita alone in a hotel room in a precarious state, so she sits at that dinner table completely preoccupied and mostly oblivious, nearly jumping out of her skin when the phone rings yet remains unanswered (she's half-expecting a call). Meanwhile, boyfriend Adi (Alexandru Potocean) sits behind her getting increasingly angry at her lack of interaction (at this point, he has little idea what's going on with Otilia and Gabita). Mungiu lets the camera run for eight or more minutes easily....the scene seems unscripted, as if the other actors are told to simply provide an unrelated, background dialog. Sounds prosaic, but in the context of where you are right at that moment in the film, it's thrilling and compelling. Try to take your eyes off of Ms. Marinca. Impossible.

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