The bitter truth of life: 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days

If there is one word that can describe 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, I would say that word is ‘difficult’. It is a difficult movie to stomach, and is vested with a difficult issue to handle.

Director Cristian Mungiu paints a bleak picture of life in communist Romania in the 80’s as he chronicles a day in the life of two girls, one of whom is intent on undergoing an abortion – made all the more difficult by the fact that it has to be done illegally. The film has no frills. It is stark and cold in its depiction of its events, and most importantly, it takes no sides. The camera simply follows Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) and Gabriela (Laura Vasiliu) as they try to get the abortion done with as few problems as possible – something of an anachronism perhaps, given the issue at hand.

Mungiu said an interview that 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days is based on an actual story that he'd heard that affected him tremendously. Critics heaped praise on it as it won the Golden Palm at Cannes in 2007, even as it was a glaring omission in the Best Foreign Language Film category at this year's Oscars.

It is not a pleasant film, but to the director's credit, it is indeed a brave one.