4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (2007)


Writer: Cristian Mingiu
Director: Cristian Mingiu
Starring: Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu

Synopsis
a chick does all the dirty work in getting her friend an illegal abortion in romania in 1987(?) and when things go wrong she keeps her shit together.

MOster 
This film is delivered to us with high level of competence. It's quite good, but isn't something that inspires "like" as a reaction.  Claustrophobic shots of natural performances are perfect for the material; and the it's almost depressing that the locations for some of the exterior settings are so readily available.  The lens of the story quite wisely keeps the politics behind everything else, informing the proceedings but never dominating the story.  Ancillary scenes of joy come our way through glimpses of other characters simply leading their lives and dealing with the necessary crap.  No ball-peen hammers were harmed in the imparting of this tale.

Following the story of the best friend rather than the inseminatee is a smart approach, because it gives us a vantage point from which we can see the world of the story much more clearly.  Through the eyes of the friend, haggling over the price of a room allows us to see the frustration of the desk clerk as well.  Through the eyes of the friend, haggling over the price of the actual procedure is more sinister, because the payment is made out of loyalty rather than desperation; and that loyalty is the core of the tale.

The Woman
ah, unplanned pregnancy. it wasn't as depressing as i thought it might be. of course, everything is a ray of sunshine compared to our recent viewing of "dancer in the dark". i found myself to be anxious when i supposed to be so i guess that says something. like the whole scene at the boyfriend's mothers house. it seemed to drag on forever. but that was the point. i just kept waiting for the gory bloody scene that i thought was inevitably coming.

the fetus....i had a hard time not laughing, but i didn't want to trample on my poor, sensitive husband's sensibilities. i don't think feti, even at 6 months look like little babies. they look more like pigs with hands and feet.

i kind of wish i knew more of what was going on in romania in this time period, but since i'm a fucking american i have to research world history especially more contemporary world history for myself since it's not taught in school, or talked about ever. especially communist history! i'm off to research...

this was good. her friend is a huge unappreciative asshole. and that's all i have to say about that.