Review of 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007) by Patrick P — 04 Mar 2009

The minimal art house effect was subtle and unpretentious. Many people I know would be able to bear the execution of the performances-- all very raw, very human-- too much silence, not enough humor, etc. The fact of the matter is, the subject isn't humorous. It's sad and scary. The girl actually having the abortion in Communist Romania was not the focus. Her friend Otilia was however. All the pain and humiliation caused by a personal choice made taboo, by an act that must be done in "back alleys" due to social and governmental alienation fell on the one person who harbored no other responsibility than being there for a friend.

What I liked most was how unmanipulative the film was. If Spielberg or some other artistically neutered filmmaker had their hands on it, they'd do their best to draw lines in the sand and jerk some tears. This film could piss someone off or touch them just by presenting real characters. The "long" unfurling of the narrative was to paint as accurate a picture as one can paint of the time and the circumstance of the story.

All in all, very well done, but incredibly bleak and depressing.