Jiffest 2007: 4 Luni, 3 Saptamani si 2 Zile (2007)

Or, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days is a Romanian film which had won this year's Cannes Film Festival's Golden Palm, and could be well through to win next year's Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. What best to describe the film was probably the word 'disturbing'. Depressing is another. In short, the film was dreary and bitter to taste. But that of course, doesn't mean that the film was lifeless and unenjoyable. I found it as yet another one of the best film i've seen in 2007. It just not a film for everybody.

Otillia and Gabita is two friends, they were roomate in a student's dorm somewhere in Romania during the final days of Commnunism in 1987. Beforehand, I know that the film was about pregnancy of sort. A 4 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days old pregnancy to be precise. But the way the film weaves itself, nevertheless, put me in a sort of state of confusion by guessing here and there about when the film would actually started. It worth the shot though, when finally the film reveals the reasons behind Otillia's wandering all over town looking for a hotel and an unknown man, i was taken by delight surprise about the difficulty and the mounting problems with the authority when one did an abortion. From there on, it was all Otillia's. And it was easy, so easy to sympathize with what she must have gone through. Even if the one who did an abortion was Gabita. Not Otillia.

I liked the Christian Mungiu's way of shooting static scenes. Oft at times the camera just point in one angle and didn't move for several minutes. The approaches were daunting especially, in my perspective, where Otillia did her monologue (she was in fact doing a dialog with Gabita, but all we see was Otillia's expression, close-up). I could see her trembles, start to falling down, but eventually manages to grip to her last sane crevice and found her strength. The scene where Otillia had a family-dinner was also a great scene. Otillia by the way, was portrayed by - i believe, a Romanian actress, correct me if i'm wrong here - Anamaria Marinca who was magnificent and gave an all-out performance that surely would be remembered by those who seen the film.

It was a wonder, actually, because you see, Otillia did almost everything to help Gabita. And we could see that she was the one who suffered more from the ordeals. I mean, check the final bathroom scene! If it didn't at least sparked your anger toward Gabita, do let me know. While Gabita, almost didn't do anything helpful. In fact, what she had 'thought' would be best for her, turns out ruining their plan instead. I was wondering how come Otillia who could easily walk away and didn't look back, thus saved her from the prospect of dealing with the authority, would willing to sacrifice so much to help Gabita, who was - perceptibly - ungrateful, weak, and could be easily imagined as one who would walked away without a moment hesitation should their positions were reversed. I had thought that the film tried to unwind the strength of friendships among women. But is it really all? And finally, when the film abruptly ends, and i had to stare at the black blank screen several seconds before the end-credit rolls, i suddenly realized, that an abortion is never a thing to take lightly, and i was realizing that what Otillia did to Gabita, sacrificing all and more, was somekind of an atonement, somekind of a redemption, somekind of an understanding, somekind of woman's empathy, that us, men, could never really understand. But Otillia understood, she felt Gabita's pain, and probably more. I personally thought that at the final scene of the film, Otillia looked more disturbed, more than Gabita. Even if the fact still remains, Gabita did the abortion. Not Otillia.

I'm not very good at words, nor i'm practically able to capture Otillia's feeling in written words for that matter, thus, any word i used to describe her feeling won't do her justice. Otillia's journey and feeling would be best if you experience and observe for yourself. And maybe, if you're a woman, you could really describe her feeling. All i know is, that hers was already strong enough to drawn me in sorrow and contemplation.

One of my best in 2007? Probably, this year's harvest has been good. Really good.