"We never be able to see anything clearly, that is the most terrible thing in this film, as the most visible and understandable scene is the abortion surgery. " 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days Director: Cristian Mungiu Main Cast: Anamaria Marinca, Laura Visiliu Year: 2007 
Abortion is always not a topic appealing me. What this Romanian film, also the Golden Palm Winner at last year, impresses me is that this film also does not say how meaningful or immoral abortion is. I think it is a thriller film and I feel like watching a process such as a robbery or a traffic accident, but just this time I am watching abortion only. No matter robbery, traffic accident or abortion, either one can make a good film once you get the dramatic moment inside, I think this is the way how this Romanian film to be one of the best last year. It is the way how to narrate the abortion story makes this film unique. The main character is played by Anamaria Marinca, a university student on that day helps her friend Laura Visiliu to prepare abortion surgery on that day. Helped by Laura Visiliu's indecisive and rather innocent charater, the more mature Marinca is the one get contact with the underground surgery doctor and strives to find a hidden room in hotel for the surgery, which is a serious crime during that time in Romania. Except the surgery, it is still an ordinary day for Marinca, and a working day for communist Romania. What mesmerizing is how the surgery interlinks with the ordinary life happened in Romania. Marinca left Visiliu in the beginning of the surgery, as she needs to go to her boyfriend's mother party. We see how class difference is so indifferent in this communist country. Marinca sits at the centre of dining table, facing to us, thinking about her friend’s condition and no one cares about her. It is a scene reminds all our experience that we are into some occasions we find no reasons to stay but we still exist in there unbearably, and it is still realistic someone’s life is on the verge in Marinca’s case. As a film audience, we wait as impatient as Marinca to leave the party. After she leaves, we can still feel the upset about the poor transport and possibly hidden crime in Romanian society. Through the eyes of Marinca, we experience ordinary life in Romania can always be that dramatic. Through the master class of cinematic manipulation with the help of Kenji Mizoguchi (溝口健二) trademark “one-scene one-shot”, we never be able to see anything clearly, that is the most terrible thing in this film, as the most visible and understandable scene is the abortion surgery. We physically experience how terrible abortion is; what's more is we unconsciously fear how God has made a country like Romania.
Obscure Rating: 8/10 http://imdb.com/title/tt1032846/ | 
