4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days

1980's era Romania had the lowest living standards in the entire Eastern Bloc. For a lack of a better word, it was a shithole. My father was a student in Bulgaria in the 80's. In '85 (two years before the setting of this film) he took a train to Berlin, it passed through Romania. As it stopped, the locals noting that it was an international train climbed aboard and began begging for food, cigarettes. Every passenger on the train was warned that they were somewhere dangerous. As I watch 4 Months that scenario is with me. I can't help but parallel what I see to Bulgarian society. The bathrooms, the living quarters, I've seen them before. It's so familiar, it's eerie. It's as if this is all happening in the neighborhood where I grew up.

The plots follows roommates Otilia and Gabita as they navigate to get an abortion for Gabita. Since aborting the fetus could lead to charges of manslaughter and 5-10 in jail. The leads have to go through a sketchy deal to hire a repulsive man to do the operation. The character of Mr. Bebe is so real. He's negative and rude and pessimistic. Wouldn't you be the same way if you were in this shithole? The actress who plays Otilia gives a great performance and makes the sense of urgency palpable. This film is difficult. It's still. It's cramped. It's suffocating. It's urgent. And mostly, brilliant. A standard for real time flicks and a story being told through dialogue. It doesn't rely on any flashy effects, the camera hardly moves.

During the final scene, the two leads eat a meal and the camera is close enough to capture them both. They are trapped in a secret together and you, the viewer, are too.