4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days Plot

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Romanian: 4 luni, 3 săptămâni şi 2 zile) is a 2007 Romanian film written and directed by Cristian Mungiu. It won the Palme d'Or and the FIPRESCI Award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

The film is set in Communist Romania in the final years of the Nicolae CeauÅŸescu era, most probably in the city of IaÅŸi, although never stated in the film. It tells the tragic story of two students, room mates in the university dormitory, who try to arrange an illegal abortion for one of them, during the communist regime of the late 1980s.

After making its worldwide debut at Cannes, the film made its Romanian debut on June 1, 2007, at the Transilvania International Film Festival.

The film follows the story of Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) and Găbiţa (Laura Vasiliu), two university friends in Bucharest, Romania. The film is set in 1987, one of the last years of the Ceauşescu regime. When Găbiţa falls pregnant, the two girls arrange a meeting with Mr. Bebe (Vlad Ivanov) in a cheap hotel, where he is to perform an illegal abortion.

The initial idea was inspired by Mungiu's project to do a film, Memories from the Golden Age, which would collect several stories taking place during the Communist times in Romania. Mungiu felt the need for a serious movie, focusing on a tragic story of life under that regime, to balance the intended comedic tone of the planned Memories from the Golden Age. He based the plot of 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days on a real story he had heard and, according to him, "still affected me after more than 15 years".

After thinking about the story for a month, Mungiu put down the synopsis in 10 minutes then wrote the screenplay in another month. He revised the screenplay numerous times during productions, rewriting and taking out parts that didn't seem necessary (some changes were also suggested by discussions with Răzvan Rădulescu, who co-wrote Cristi Puiu's previous two features).

Most of the filming was done in Bucharest, with some scenes filmed in a hotel in Ploieşti. The film was produced on budget of less than €600,000.

The movie received an enthusiastic response from critics, earning a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 63 reviews), a website that aggregates professional critiques. Time magazine's Richard and Mary Corliss described it as a "gripping, satisfying film" and particularly noted the use of minimalism and "formal rigor" as defining aesthetic characteristics. Jay Weissberg from Variety magazine opined that the film was "pitch perfect and brilliantly acted... a stunning achievement". He remarked that the film shares a number of characteristics with other productions of the New Romanian Cinema, namely: "long takes, controlled camera and an astonishing ear for natural dialogue."

Several sources view the film as indicative of a broader renaissance in Romanian cinema in the 2000s, particularly as another Romanian film, Cristian Nemescu's California Dreamin', won the Prix un certain regard at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and the The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, one of the best reviewed films of 2005, won the same award two years prior.The film appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2007.

1st - A.O. Scott, The New York Times
1st - Dana Stevens, Slate
2nd - Liam Lacey and Rick Groen, The Globe and Mail
3rd - Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor
3rd - Scott Foundas, LA Weekly (tied with Lake of Fire)
3rd - Wesley Morris, The Boston Globe
4th - Ella Taylor, LA Weekly (tied with Lake of Fire)
4th - Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times (tied with Lady Chatterley)
5th - Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times
8th - Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
9th - Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Wins

Cannes Film Festival
Golden Palm
FIPRESCI prize
Cinema Prize of the French National Education System
European Film Awards
Best European Film
Best European Director
Hollywood Film Festival
Hollywood World Award (Best Film)
San Sebastián International Film Festival
FIPRESCI Film of the Year
Stockholm Film Festival
Bronze Horse (Best Film)
Best Actress
National Board of Review
Top Five Foreign Films
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
Best Foreign Film
Best Actress (runner-up)
Best Supporting Actor
Sight & Sound Films of 2007
Best Film
Chicago Film Critics Association
Best Foreign Language Film
Toronto Film Critics Association
Best Foreign Language Film
National Society of Film Critics
Best Foreign Language Film

Nominations

European Film Awards'
Best European Actress
Best European Screenwriter
Satellite Awards
Best Foreign Film
Golden Globe Awards 2007
Best Foreign Language Film
Australian Film Critics Association 2007 Film Awards
Best Overseas Film (commendation)