4 weeks, 3 months and 2 days - Cristian Mungiu

4 weeks, 3 months & 2 days (4 luni, 3 săptămâni şi 2 zile) – Sounds like an apocalyptic countdown to the end of the world. But Romanian Director Cristian Mungiu didn’t have a science fiction or Faustian theme in mind, he wanted to capture reality in brutal earnestness. To him it represented the time which an unborn child breathed inside the womb of a reluctant mother-to-be, before she decided to get rid of it, or perhaps it was the duration of a mortified girl’s agony over her predicament that could cost her everything she is working towards. Most likely, it’s both.

The time under consideration is late 1980s - Romania is reeling under the dictatorship of Ceausescu, who has issued decree 770 banning abortion. Young Gabita, a college student, is faced with a life-altering decision – whether to end the life growing inside her that had been a result of a passionate night 4 months, 3 weeks, 2 days ago. Aided by her sensible and mature roommate Otilia, they hire a Mr. Bebe, an immoral, opportunistic abortionist who gives them a hard time and refuses to perform the abortion, citing their lax attitude and preparation. The pleading whimpers of Gabita do little to move greedy and lecherous Bebe who wants to make the most out of this situation, and agrees to perform the abortion if Otilia gives in to his concupiscence, in addition to the promised remuneration. Otilia, aware of the desperate situation her roommate is in, sacrifices her dignity and fidelity (to her boyfriend) to ensure that Gabita gets her life back. What ensues is not important to tell, how it does, is.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - This is one of the most honest movies ever made. No shot is fabricated or exaggerated, it simply conveys what is should – silent reflections and long pensive moments deliver more impact than thousands dialogues or unending narratives. Also, it’s one of the few that does not focus superfluously on the prevalent socio-political scenario in a country going through some rough times. It is more about conflicts within two young girls – one who epitomizes immaturity and weakness, and the other who is all about courage and equanimity.

Gabita, the former, comes across as the quintessential gullible college girl who may have slept with the first guy she met, getting carried away in the heat of the moment, paying no heed to the dire consequences. She is worryingly weak and dependant – She is unable to come up with the dough for the abortion, meet the abortionist herself, or arrange a hotel without Otilia’s help.

Otilia on the other hand, is the ultimate heroine, a real survivor – the tranquil, sensible, patient and headstrong savior of fools like Gabita. She arranges everything for Gabita, and ensures that all goes well, despite the hiccups that result from her silly roommate’s goof-ups. Had it not been for her, Gabita may have been lying around in a brothel, or a slum in some obscure Romanian village, raising a child or committing suicide out of sheer penury.

Infact, this movie is 80% Otilia (she is practically every shot in the movie), and 20% Gabita and the rest. And rightly so – watch it and you’ll be in awe of this character. She is no Mother Teresa or Noah, she is simply a great and sensible human being who plays her part as a friend, and a human being to perfection.

If there is naïveté and fortitude on one hand, then there is absolute insidiousness on the other. Bebe’s inherent evilness is so calculatedly bloodcurdling, that one wonders whether he is a member of the regime that he is taking a chance against, or just a plain-bad human filth that somehow co-exists with cream like Otilia. The scene in which Otilia agrees to his loathsome demand, tells a story in itself – There are no spoken demands, they communicate merely with their cold, mechanical expressions – he, demanding, she, submitting. There is no pleading, no compromise, and even no gratification – it’s almost as if such “dealings” are commonplace (they probably were in those times in Romania).

4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days has been shot more as a documentary than as a movie – in tone with its own somber theme. The prolonged shots of characters with their faces partly cut give it a somewhat realistic appeal – almost as if Mungiu was capturing some live events instead of rolling the camera on a set (Even the dead fetus is authentic, and one momentary glance is enough to make one shudder).

He carefully dodges the most ubiquitous trap that movies of this kind fall into (another one is The lives of others) – focus on the societal and peripheral aspects more than the travails of central characters (literally). The scene where Otilia meets with her boyfriend’s parents and their friends, who can’t stop commenting on the rotting culture of a decadent society, is focused more on Otilia’s insecurities and fears (when she asks her boyfriend whether he would leave her if she were in a similar situation), than the perspectives of the resigned residents of a country plagued by problems ranging from corruption and poverty to political turmoil.

The film is devoid of any background score, or any conventional form of cinematography, yet the long lapses or silence create humongous impact. All the credit goes to Anamaria Marinca (Otilia), who has delivered such a powerful performance, that I may presumptuously claim that most Hollywood actresses don’t hold a candle to her. Laura Vasiliu may have been lurking in her shadows, but no one could do more justice to the role of cowardly, yet endearing Gabita. Somehow she convinces you with her desperation and it is easy to overlook her precariousness considering her situation. You don’t feel contempt (after all she alone got herself into the mess) but sympathy for the poor girl who practically whispers when she talks and cries incessantly. Vlad Ivanov convinced me that either he was really a nefarious, cold-blooded baby killer, or attuned to the harsh realities of such abominable profession, to have accomplished the difficult task demanded of him with such dexterity. It takes a veteran to be able to deliver every line in the right manner – methodical, cold, unyielding in his case. If the best diamonds are found in the filthiest of coal mines, then Romania must be one messed up country to be able to cough up these actors.

This movie is inspired from a real-life story, and it is a part of series that Cristian Mungiu decided to make called The Golden Age, portraying life under communism in Romania. If this one was conceived and delivered (no pun intended) so impeccably, we can only expect greater things from Mr. Mungiu.

Make no mistakes – this is not your typical weekend movie. Be prepared to watch it only if you are sick of chick-flicks or thrillers and wish to watch a real unadulterated eye-opening soul-stirrer. No horror movie this one, it will give you the creeps nevertheless.

A glimpse of this chilling, hard-hitting film