1 of 2
An illegal abortion in a communist country makes for gripping film in 4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days
2 of 2
An illegal abortion in a communist country makes for gripping film in 4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days
Abortion film doesn’t sugarcoat the reality
With the weird recent rash of lighthearted movies about unwanted pregnancies ( Juno Waitress and Knocked Up ) some cultural critics have complained that the protagonists have always gone ahead and had their babies without seriously considering the option of abortion. There’s a good reason for this — no matter where one stands on the pro-choice-pro-life spectrum movies about abortion are unpleasant to watch. And as Cristian Mungiu proves with 4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days movies about illegal abortions in Communist Romania are particularly unpleasant.
Luckily unpleasantness does not necessarily make for bad filmmaking. Set in the late ’80s when any form of abortion was highly illegal in Romania the film centres on Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) who helps her roommate Gabriela (Laura Vasiliu) procure a risky abortion in a hotel room. There’s not much more as far as plot goes; Otilia secures the details meeting with the abortionist and watching the procedure take place with little interference. Later Otilia meets with her boyfriend and wonders what would happen if they found themselves in a similar situation but any political commentary is presented simply through the personal turmoil of the characters.
What makes 4 Months work so well is Mungiu’s knack for unforgiving realism. Marinca’s performance is unbelievably natural and the film often plays more like a documentary than a drama with the story lingering on mundane details like the hassle of reserving a hotel room or the girls packing soap and plastic sheets before leaving for the procedure. While that realism strengthens the drama it also brings a significant ick-factor. There is a very long and very graphic shot of the discarded fetus followed by a lengthy scene tracking Otilia as she tries to dispose of it. Saying that some of the aspects of this movie are not for the faint of heart is an understatement of epic proportions but uncomfortable subjects call for an uncomfortable treatment.
While it may be dark and depressing and not as much fun to watch as pregnant Juno yucking it up with Jason Bateman 4 Months offers a bitingly realistic and thought-provoking account of what countless women in Romania must have gone through (and what women in many parts of the world are still enduring). If it was easier to watch it would suggest that their choices were easier to make and that would be a huge disservice.
