Official Synopsis:
Two college roommates have 24 hours to make the ultimate choice as they finalize arrangements for a black market abortion.  What follows is a gripping, heart-stopping drama, set before the fall of Communism, about friendship, sacrifice and desperation.  Named Best Film of the Year by the National, Los Angeles and Chicago Film Critics Associations, 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days keeps the audience on the edge of their seats with some of the most breathless and bracing filmmaking of the year.
  
Our Take:
I normally do not like to address the official synopsis directly in my reviews, but I am compelled to make an exception in this case.  4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is an emotionally beautiful film, but “breathless filmmaking” it is not.  When I think “breathless filmmaking,” I think of quick cutting in the style of Bourne Ultimatum; this is quite the opposite.  Director Cristian Mungiu creates almost a neo-realist feel for the film through the utilization of exclusively diegetic sound and long takes.  Mungiu focuses on the protagonist and never wavers as his camera simply captures the action and provides the audience with a very real feeling film.  The film does take on a breathless suspenseful feel in one sequence towards the end of the film, but for the rest of the film we merely observe and experience the life of the main character as she experiences it without any of the false emotion-generating capabilities of film taking hold.

In the neo-realist tradition, as well as that of the French New Wave, Mungiu shows us a day in the life of Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) as well as just a day in the life of people in communist Romania.  This is the greatest triumph of the film; Mungiu allows the audience to experience this fragment of life without force-feeding us a message or trying to impress upon us a greater meaning by making the day a metaphor for life as a whole.  We are allowed to witness this day and this one character’s day and interactions and form our own opinion about life in Romania at this time.  The film is bleak but it is real, and capturing reality on film has always been one of the purest and loftiest goals.  Cristian Mungiu set that goal for himself and the fact that he met it makes 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days a film that shall be shown in film courses in 40 years with the same reverence and wonder that is presently given to such films as 400 Blows and The Bicycle Thieves.

While it is unfortunate that the 2007 Palme D’Or winner does not have a director’s commentary, the following bonus features easily make up for it:

* 1 Month with 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (16 minutes) – A documentary film by Sorin Avram about a caravan screening tour of the film throughout towns in Romania that do not have movie theaters.

* Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Cristian Mungiu (25 minutes) – A very detailed and engaging interview that touches on everything from how the idea for the film was conceived to technical discussion of particular scenes.  This works in lieu of a commentary.

* An Interview with Cinematographer Oleg Mutu (7 minutes).

* Trailer.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is a slice-of-real-life classic that ranks as the second best film of 2007 and will be seen as one of the most important Romanian films yet.  The Romanian New Wave has been percolating under the radar for a few years now, but this film and its Palme D’Or win have put Romania at the forefront of contemporary world cinema for those who have not been paying close enough attention.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:
Movie: A+
DVD: B+

- Matthew Orlando
Staff Writer