Review of 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

Yes, in deed, in communist Romania abortion was illegal. People got arrested for that and sentenced to jail. That's was already portrayed in the documentary "Nascuti la comanda. Decreteii" (2005 - Children of the Decree) not very good as well but this is another story. Back to our movie … I shall illustrate my opinion with a story from childhood. I was born in 1980 in Romania and at the time the action of the movie takes place I was 7. About that age I remember an episode that stayed in my mind. My parents took me and my sister shopping in a kind of a mall ("Big" called actually at that time). As we were waiting I remember I looked into the window of a shop and I saw some little things called "prezervative" (condoms). I remember I stayed a few minutes in front of that window trying to read the word and memorize it. After that I asked my mother what that meant and she said ask your father, he knows better. He avoided the subject. So, my point is: at that time there were contraceptive methods available in shops so even children could have bought them but there was no education in that sense. The movie presents us fragments of reality and puts the whole blame on the fact that abortion was illegal. But who stopped the young students from that time to buy and use condoms? And what's was the problem after all of having a child? The blame can't be only on the regime, on the whole society, but rather on each case. Some people died for their beliefs and other just accepted what they were told. Who's to blame? As for the way in witch movie is constructed I could not notice the "thriller" in the end when Otilia tries to hide the baby. This part is in contrast with much of the movie and obviously exaggerated maybe to satisfy an American audience. In my opinion, the only valuable part in the movie is that of the conversation between Adi Radu and Otilia regarding what would they do in case of an unwanted pregnancy. This moment alone has universal value because it speaks about human problems all over the world and in every time and society. It is the question of trust, of responsibility in a relationship as well as in life.