4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)

Director: Cristian Mungiu
Stars: Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov
Runtime: 113 minutes

Synopsis: A woman assists her friend in arranging an illegal abortion in 1980s Romania.

Performances: 5/5
Screenplay: 5/5
Editing: 4/5
Cinematography: 5/5

Verdict: The topic of abortion is one that hasn't been tackled much on screen. The delicate nature of it will result in immediate backlash no matter what side the filmmakers take, as proven with "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days", a Romanian film which sparked a lot of controversy in its country of origin. But I have to applaud director Cristian Mungiu for his courage in taking on a project that focuses on an theme that needs to be talked about, which eventually went on to win the Palme d'Or (but was famously and unfortunately snubbed at the Oscars).

Based on events that happened to an acquaintance of the Mungiu, the film follows a young woman who goes out of her way to set up an illegal abortion for her roommate. What truly stands out in the movie is how grounded and real everything looks, which is fitting considering the importance of the topic in hand. Very long takes and a complete absence of music contributed in making the atmosphere as serious as possible. The acting was emotionally heavy, superbly nuanced, and elevated by very engaging dialogue. The story itself is very straightforward, rendering it efficient in what it was attempting to achieve, which is to present both sides of a debate that is still being talked about to this day and contributing to that particular conversation by telling the very realistic story of a woman's struggle to handle it.
I honestly cannot recommend "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" enough. It's marvelously made from both a technical and thematic point of view and methodically tackles a topic that a lot of people try to avoid due to its taboo nature.

FINAL GRADE: 9/10