Attack of the B's!

4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile (2007), Cristian Mungiu

4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days



Set in communist Romania in the late 80's, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is the story of two young college students, Gabita and Otilia, on a mission to obtain an abortion for Gabita. The problem is, abortion was illegal at that time, and the only way to get one was from a shady "doctor" in a shady hotel room. The illegality of the abortion also depends on how far along the pregnancy is. The title of the movie should tell you that this particular abortion is pretty fucking illegal, not to mention risky for Gabita. You would think that Gabita is the main character in the film, but Mungiu throws the viewer for a loop by making Otilia the protagonist. I seriously don't think anyone I know has a friend that is as loyal as Otilia. She really, really goes to the outer limits to help Gabita, who is nothing but a stupid, selfish girl. Otilia only gets a short "Thanks." in return for allowing herself to be sexually violated, ruining her relationship with her boyfriend, and breaking more than a few major laws... IN COMMUNIST ROMANIA.

"4,3,2" is very spare, and sparse. The colors are all a bit faded and gray. Everything seems oppressive, bleak, and hopeless. The characters wear plain clothes, no makeup. All we see is their performance, which only adds to the shocking realism. We are not given any information from before or after the events in the movie, the viewer is literally just thrown into 18 hours in the lives of these two girls and left to fend for themselves. Nearly every conversation in the film is tense and unsettling, but the questions we are left with after watching this film are more unsettling still. The most disturbing one being, what if Roe v. Wade were overturned? Back alley abortions, coat hangers, shady "doctors"... it could and would happen again. It's absolutely terrifying. In closing, you know how I know I've seen a really great movie? When it is 4 days later, and I still think I have never had as much contempt for a semi-fictional character than I have for Gabita.

Grade: A