4 Months, 3 weeks And 2 Days Reviews

Deathly dull

Once again all the positive reviews of this film are 'worthy'.

When you break it down to reality this is an exceedingly dull piece of filmmaking. Makes you wonder what you have to do to win these awards. . . . let's see . . . .

1. Does the film look ugly. . . . tick!

2. Is the subject matter worthy or controversial. . . . tick!

3. Is it dull as a viewing experience. . . . tick!

4. Is it subtitled. . . . . double tick for that one!

5. Are there supposedly meaningful lingering shots or interminable scenes. . . .tick, tick, tick!!!!!!

Hmmmmm, will think twice about 'award winning films' in future then!!

If you want to be entertained, avoid this one!

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[Highly rated reviewer]

Four Months, Three Weeks and Two Days

An uncomfortable, bleak , but nonethless hypnotic watch as we see this Romanian offering from director Christian Mungui that took the main prize at Cannes last year. In the dying embers of the Ceausescu regime when abortion was illegal we see Gabita (Laura Vasiliu) a young student who is over four months pregnant and seeks an illegal abortion aided by loyal friend and room-mate Otilia (AnaMarina Marinca ). They engage the services of Variel (Vlad Ivanov) a lecherous, furtive, but experienced back street abortionist who agrees for a price to conduct the abortion in a hotel room. There are a few hiccups along the way, before both girls find themselves in a the bleak surroundings of a state hotel room taking huge risks as they wait for the procedure to run it's course. Otilia has a boyfriend Adi (Alexandru Potocean) who becomes suspicious when she makes an excuse to leave a family celebration early and appears both nervous and wound up at the same time, eventually forcing her to tell him the truth as she hurries back to the hotel room to check on Gabita's progress. It's a harsh, blunt, and realistic portrayal of Communist Romania , that focuses on the abortion but is really speaking volumes about the regime. The story spans a three or four day period, and the opressive atmosphere created throughout by some wonderful backdrops and cinematography that gnaws at your humanity. It's a dour subject , yet the performance by Ms Marinca in particular just fills you with nothing but admiration not only for her' gutsy' loyality to her friend but her coolness and determination to see the whole thing through to the end despite her fear and misgivings, without her the plan would surely have been doomed to failure. There is one scene at a dinner party thrown for her boyfriend's mother that I could identify with so much, she hardly speaks whilst she is surrounded by a tirade of highly animated conversation, but what she doesn't say speaks volumes. It really struck a chord with me, and was one of the high points. Not a film you could watch over and over again as I would imagine it could be distressing for many people simply because of it's graphic portrayal of a sensitive subject, that said a worthy winner at Cannes. In a word.........Haunting.

A film to think about, difficult to be detached but beautifully paced

This film did well at Cannes and one was sceptical whether it was another piano teacher, but this film was fabulous.Tthe characters are real and deep. It does horror by suggestion most effectively indeed. it offers great insight for life in oppression and tackles the difficult issue of abortion in a multifaceted and provacative way. all in all a great, great movie.

Brilliant

I saw this movie in Cannes. I can't wait till the DVD is released in UK. This is a masterpiece.

Oh dear

I think that I have wasted 90 minutes of my life watching this.

Subtitles completely useless

We stopped the film after 10 minutes because the subtitles only translated about 20 to 25% of the words spoken. Completely useless. We reported the fault but it seems that sofa cinema have no control of this and are unwilling to divulge which films suffer from this problem. We have also experienced it with one other subtitled film so far.

What's the point?

I couldn't agree with 'deathly dull', above, more! I'm no philistine but being worthy is not enough! This film just left me feeling depressed and as though I'd just wasted 90 minutes of my life! Seriously, this film has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

Terrible

What a terrible film - slow, boring plot. The whole film is based on a Romanian girl's struggle to get an abortion.... that's it!!

How this film can get any awards baffles me.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!

Great

Great acting, beautiful to look at, haunting, thought-provoking - and a brilliantly-paced thriller-cum-social-realist-drama. Slightly confusing to start with (subtitles flash on and off too quick) but after half an hour it's rivetting. The kind of film you'll want to see again as soon as it's over.

Without options

A powerfully bleak film about the attempt of a student in Romania to obtain an abortion with the help of her friend. The acting is superb throughout and keeps you riveted despite the slow development of the film. The menace and sheer ordinariness of the horror adds to the tension. While avoiding any excessive violence - it is all implicit in the action - the film leaves a deeply depressing picture of the confusions and desperation felt by women for whom abortion is a criminal offence. In the efforts of the two students we see how easy it is for men to exploit their vulnerability and the film provides a sharp reminder of how catastrophic the criminality of the abortion law was and is for women of all classes.