4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days [Blu-ray]

This is not just the Romanian film on abortion.4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is the story of two girls and their attempt to solve the problem of having an abortion in a totalitarian state where aborition was prohibited. The reason abortion was illegal, and people went to prison for attempting it, is because Ceausescu thought that Romania needed a bigger population because he gathered that a bigger population meant a more powerful state. Therefore, there was no contraception available and people had to make do with what they could.Now, what 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days shows, in a shockingly honest way, is that humanity can endure even the most degrading and inhuman of situations. Ironically, what this film is about is survival. The girls simply need to get on with their lives and survive. And you, the viewer, will witness their every thought and emotion etched on their faces. You will witness their struggles and decision-making moments.It's an inspiring piece, a visionary attempt. You cannot not be affected by watching it and hopefully, hopefully you will come out a better person for it.Bogdan Tiganov - author of  The Wooden Tongue Speaks- Romanians: Contradictions & Realities

It was marvelous to be able to watch a movie from Romania. This is a very quiet, compelling and brave movie. It subtly lays out the story of a young woman who will do almost anything to help her friend get an abortion. Abortions were illegal and she and her friend and the back street abortionist could have gone to prison. Birth control was not an option. Much is revealed about life in Romania at the time of the story. This is not an easy film for it is about such a serious subject but it is very well done and one I highly recommend. Watching it reminded me of when abortion was illegal in the US and women often resorted to the scary and dangerous option of terminating a pregnancy using a back street abortionist. My fear is that certain presidential candidates and fundamentalist attitudes in US will make abortion illegal again in the US. I look forward to the chance of seeing other movies - dramas as well as comedies - from Romania.

Romanian screenwriter, producer and director Cristian Mungiu`s second feature film which he wrote and co-produced, is inspired by real events. It premiered In competition at the 60th Cannes International Film Festival in 2007, was screened in the Special Presentations section at the 32nd Toronto International Film Festival in 2007, was shot on location in Bucharest, Romania and is a Romanian production which was produced by cinematographer and producer Oleg Mutu. It tells the story about two female students in their early twenties named Gabita and Otilia who lives in a crowded dorm in Romania in 1987. As Gabita`s closest friend, Otilia has learned that her roommate is pregnant, that she has decided to get an abortion and that she has made arrangements to meet a man which one of the women at the student home has recommended named Mr Bebe. Otilia is standing by Gabita and has no objections to her choice, but neither one of them has been in dealings with the black market before.Distinctly and engagingly directed by Balkan filmmaker Cristian Mungiu, this finely paced and somewhat fictional tale which is narrated from multiple viewpoints though mostly from the main character`s point of view, draws a refined and rarely unsettling portrayal of two roommates` first-time encounter with an unauthorized "surgeon", their friendship and Otilia`s relationship with her boyfriend named Adi. While notable for its naturalistic milieu depictions, fine cinematography by Moldovan cinematographer Oleg Mutu, low-keyed production design by production designer Mihaela Poenaru, costume design by costume designer Dana Istrate and use of sound and colors, this dialog-driven and narrative-driven story about illegal abortion and more specifically about the recurrently relevant theme of abortion where the nuances within the narrative, the setting, the dialog, the communication of the story and the concentration on the characters, their experience of the situation one of them has instigated and the other takes the largest part of the consequences of, reflects, as so many other noteworthy films also does, that filmmakers aren`t just dreamers walking around or running around with a fancy camera intending to create an alternative to real life, the actors and actresses not just complaisant puppets playing games on a stage to get attention or please a demanding audience, the screenwriters not just aspiring authors who have scribbled down a few words on a piece of paper and that the incorporation of fiction within a story which also contains true or biographical elements can increase reality`s presence, holds its tension from the first to the last frame and depicts a dense and humane study of character.This somewhat biographical, observational, sequential and atmospheric drama from the late 2000s which is set during an autumn day in a city in Romania in the late 1980s when the country was under Communist rule and where a woman who promises her boyfriend that she will attend his mother`s 48th birthday and her friend whom is awaiting a visit from her father is heading for a crucial meeting concerning a matter of life which is to take place at a hotel room, is impelled and reinforced by its stringent narrative structure, substantial character development, rhythmic continuity, long takes, involving dialog, distinct authenticity, subtle examination of its central theme and the poignant acting performances by Romanian actresses Anamaria Marinca and Laura Vasiliu and Romanian actors Alexandru Potocean and Vlad Ivanov. An acutely cinematic, conflicting and heartrending character piece which gained, among numerous other awards, the Palme d`Or at the 60th Cannes Film Festival in 2007.

This is a five star movie. Yesterday I saw an item on Sky News about the coming release on DVD of Cristian Mungiu's 2012 film Beyond the Hills. I googled the movie and read that Beyond the Hills confirms Mungiu as a genius of modern film making. If Beyond the Hills is just nearly as good as 4 Months, I wholeheartedly agree with this judgement. Don't miss this one and wait with me for the next one.

I found this film really sad, the setting is so bleak, I hope those days have gone forever.Its the story of a young , pregnant university student, and her friend, and the terrible things that happen to themIts subtitiled, but worth it, Very , very well acted, I whole-heartedly reccomend it

A grim, but gripping film. Very interesting to see how the country once looked. A very good interpretation in my eyes. Nice to have a film in Romanian with English subtitles - a very useful learning aide, which has also helped me. Would recommend it to anyone, although not for a younger audience.

PLEASED DUPLICATE ARRIVED PROMPTLY AFTER ORIGINAL MISSING IT TURNED UP 10 DAYS LATER DUE TO BEING LEFT AT ANOTHER ADDRESS BEHIND BIN OF UNOCCUPIED HOUSE IRONIC THAT THE INFO CARD FOUND WAS WRITTEN BY SOMEONE WHOS FIRST LANGUAGE WAS NOT ENGLISH

Given the topic of abortion, this is a confronting but extremely well made and acted film. Another great film in the Criterion collection.

With this film Cristian Mungiu created a masterpiece in the realistic cinema of the 21th century. Unbelievable plan sequences, really authentic (=great) actors you will find in this film, which will make you think about individual cases of life and let you back speechless. This film is a must-see-film! Looking forward to Mungiu`s new film Beyond The Hills!

数少ないルーマニア映画の中で共産主義時代の感じがよく出ています。　ルーマニア語で日本語の字幕映画は、本当に少ないので貴重な一本だと思います。　商品もとてもきれいで満足です。

Ce film roumain est particulièrement humain.Il se passait sous la dictature roumaine,d'accord,mais il en était de même en France.Heureusement que nous avons eu l'obstination d'une GRANDE DAME qui s'est battue à l'assemblée pour faire adopter sa loi.Encore merci à elle pour toutes les femmes qui se trouvaient dans les mêmes circonstances que lš'héroîne du film.ATTENTION! Ily a de plus en plus de médecins qui refusent d'appliquer la loi .Restons vigilants.Excellent film que l'on devait projeter dans les cllèges et qui ne l'a pas été fait.r

One of the most insightful films on human dimension of poverty, power, abuse and.. abortion. If one needs entertainment or Marvel series, don't buy this. If the expectation from a film is to make one think for a long time... this is one of the rare findings