FILM CHALLENGE: 22) 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days

22) 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days

Director: Cristian Mungiu

Year: 2007

Plot Summary: The film, set in 1980s Romania, takes place over the 24 hours in which Gabita goes to have a backstreet abortion with her roommate Otilia. Under the communist government in the 80s, this was a procedure that was illegal and could find the three of them facing 10 years in prison.

I first watched this Romanian drama in cinemas after hearing it won the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival earlier that year. During the showing, I spent the entire running length in a cold sweat and only stopped shaking when I was on the train journey home. This isn't to say I disliked the film - in fact, I thought it was absolutely breathtaking - but it was without a shadow of a doubt one of the most suspenseful and upsetting movies I've ever watched.

While the film's main narrative is the two girls' quest to get an abortion for Gabita, it also gives you an insight into life in the Socialist Republic of Romania. Many of the locations are in poverty, no-one in the film looks prosperous or rich and there are some scenes that subtly portray how many people in Romania opposed the government's strict regime.

I've always respected the film for staying neutral on whether it is right or wrong to have an abortion too. In 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days we are shown both the vulnerability of Gabita, her distress about her pregnancy and the fact that people will still have unsafe backstreet abortions even if they are illegal. But, however, we are also shown, in one tremendously upsetting shot, the fact that it does terminate the possibility of life and the effects it has on the people involved.

Moreover, 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days very realistic. Rather than changing the distance of the shot, changing the angle or using pans or tilts, the cinematographer lets the camera remain very still so that the shots that are similar to what you would see if you were in the room with them. Moreover, there is very little cutting or any transitions, the shots are long and allow you to realistically see how the scene would play out. Even the writing is very realistic. In the first 10 minutes of the film, the characters simply talk about who is looking after the fish, ask if anyone has some cigarettes and discuss why they can't attend a film screening that night with a flatmate. It doesn't rush through what is important for the audience to know and instead lets you see into the characters' real lives.

Another thing I love about the writing is that it doesn't reveal its hand right away. You're not immediately told all the exposition you'd usually expect during the beginning of the film. Instead, which character is pregnant, why they have had to keep it secret, the way the procedure works, etc. are all slowly revealed as the film progresses. In fact, the word "abortion" isn't even uttered until at least 40 minutes in. This makes 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days incredibly gripping viewing.

It's not something that everyone will love. It's tense, slow-paced, minimalistic and very upsetting. However, if you can handle it, what you will find is a riveting, outstanding and mesmerising drama that is as good as they come.

5/5

By Daniel Sarath with 3 comments