A recent example of a bold foreign film is Cristian Mungiu's 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. Depicting Romania during the dying days of communism, the film depicts a time of desperation for anyone in certain circumstances. (Though, to be honest, even people today find themselves in desperate measures.)
It's hard to say who goes through a bigger ordeal throughout 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days: Gabita (Laura Visiliu), who wants an abortion, or Otilia (Anamaria Marinca), her roommate who organizes everything to make it happen. I'm going with Otilia because she has to get everything without raising any suspicion. (Why Gabita couldn't handle the job is beyond me.)
Mungiu does an interesting job with the whole development of the story. It is at first appearing as a film that's cold and unattached but as it wears on, it becomes more emotionally involved with its characters. That's something I want to see more out of Hollywood.
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is a brilliant film, that goes without saying. The use of static camera and muted tones adds to the bleakness of the film. If you haven't seen it yet, you honestly should.
My Rating: *****
Nice review! I watched this a few months ago and was impressed by it. Although I thought it faltered a little down the stretch, and there were a couple of scenes that felt downright pointless, its tragic realism and subtle power are simply overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking of this film the other day. I thought it was really bold. This is a perfect example of films that could never get made in Hollywood.
ReplyDeleteI think this is one of the ten best films of the last decade. Really blew me away.
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