4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)

A woman assists her friend in arranging an illegal abortion in 1980s Romania.

Director:

Cristian Mungiu

Writer:

Cristian Mungiu

Stars:

Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 39 wins & 56 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anamaria Marinca	...	Otilia Mihartescu
Laura Vasiliu	...	Gabita Dragut
Vlad Ivanov	...	Viorel Bebe
Alexandru Potocean	...	Adi Radu (as Alex Potocean)
Luminita Gheorghiu	...	Gina Radu
Adi Carauleanu	...	Dr. Radu
Liliana Mocanu	...	Unireal Hotel Receptionist
Tania Popa	...	Night Receptionist
Teodor Corban	...	Unireal Hotel Receptionist (as Teo Corban)
Cerasela Iosifescu	...	Tineretului Hotel Receptionist
Doru Ana	...	Benzanirul
Eugenia Bosânceanu	...	Viorel Bebe's Mother
Ion Sapdaru	...	Dr. Rusu (as Ioan Sapdaru)
Cristina Burbuz	...	Marie-Jeanne Rusu (as Cristina Buburuz)
Marioara Sterian	...	Adela Racoviceanu

Storyline

Romania, 1987, the brutal Ceausescu communist regime is in place; birth control is illegal and abortion is a crime punishable by death. Gabita (Laura Vasliu) is almost five months into an unwanted pregnancy and in meek desperation turns to her friend and roommate, Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) for help in organizing an illegal termination. Unfortunate circumstances force the two women to use an unwanted male abortionist, Bebe (Vlad Ivanov). The bleakness of the storyline expresses a dark socio-political critique in the twilight years of a repressive dictatorship.

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Plot Keywords:

abortion | communist | romania | illegal abortion | female nudity | 

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Taglines:

How far would you go for a friend?

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Romania Belgium

Language:

Romanian

Release Date:

14 September 2007 (Romania)

Also Known As:

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

Filming Locations:

Romania

Box Office

Budget:

EUR590,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$51,712, 27 January 2008

Gross USA:

$1,198,208

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,840,338

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mobra Films, Centrul National al Cinematografiei (CNC), Mindshare Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Otilia's recurring nosebleeds and sudden vomiting scenes are never explained in the film. However, as these are all early symptoms of a first trimester pregnancy, it heavily implies that Otilia herself is pregnant but is unaware of it.

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Goofs

Otilia asked to buy Orange Tic Tacs, but she receives red (cinnamon flavored) Tic Tacs.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[subtitled version]
Otilia: OK.
Gabriela 'Gabita' Dragut: Thanks.

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Connections

Referenced in The Invisible Woman (2009)

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Soundtracks

Lasa lumea sa vorbeasca
Music by Vasile Vasilache
Lyrics by Eugen Rotaru
Performed by Cornel Constantiniu

User Reviews

Not perfect but brilliant

The story is a very simple one. It's 1987 in Romania and abortion is illegal. Pregnant student Gabita and her roommate Otilia check into a cheap hotel where a backstreet abortionist called Bebe is going to deal with Gabita's problem. Under Romanian law, the degree of illegality depends on how long Gabita has been pregnant: on this subject, as on most others, she is worryingly vague. Very cleverly, the writer makes Otilia, the more resourceful of the girls, the protagonist. Otilia needs all her courage to deal with the suspicious hotel staff, to meet Bebe's demands, to evade the police and jail. The obvious words to use are spare, direct, realistic. The suspense generated is astonishing. The question of whether abortion is right or wrong is irrelevant to the psychology of the film - all that matters is that it is dangerous. I have great sympathy for all those Romanians who have written comments on this site, complaining about the portrayal of their beloved country. However, I believe that this film reflects well on Romania today. It's certainly a much more sophisticated and honest film than Vera Drake, which was hideously sentimental.