I'll be honest: even though we put Juno on our Best Movies of 2007 list, I don't think it deserves half of the hype it's garnered. Sure, Michael Cera is my future husband, but the proclamations heralding the film as a way to generate discussion seem a little farfetched; most pregnant teenagers aren't blessed with such supportive parents.
So forgive me if I was a little turned off by Juno's fantastical world. Luckily, another film came out in Europe about the same time that rendered a truly gritty depiction of how pregnant women really cope -- in 1980s Communist Romania.
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is a raw portrayal of Gabita (Laura Vasiliu), a student trying to get an illegal abortion in 1987, as society struggles to function under the Ceausescu regime. It is her roommate, Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) who seeks out an abortionist (Vlad Ivanov) to help Gabita in the confines of a hotel room.
What makes the story so compelling is the attention to detail director Cristian Mungiu demonstrates. Blocs of flats, dimly lit rooms and an overall grayness are entirely realistic. The omnipresent black market crops up subtly (cigarettes and tic tacs are prized possessions), so you never get the feeling that you're watching a period drama.
The girls are hardly heroic figures. Ordinary students at university, their interactions underscore the banality of their lives. More shocking is the character of the abortionist Mr. Bebe, who turns out to be a quietly evil figure, demanding sex in exchange for an abortion.
Never pedantic or self-righteous, the film makes a conscious effort to explore the personal implications of a political problem. The cinematography doesn't concern itself with who is speaking, preferring instead to cut off heads and limbs from the line of vision. Ultimately, this form of shooting embodies the dehumanization felt under the Communist regime. Identities are shed, lost and finally retrieved in a society that prides itself on collective culture. The film ends on a note that can only be construed as pensive, forcing both character and audience to wonder how much of themselves they have to lose to feel whole.
