4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)

I really liked this film. It's the 3rd Romanian film that I've seen now, all of them being exceptional, in my opinion, so I think I'm really developing a taste for this cinema. In the three movies that I've seen (others being "The Happiest Girl in the World" and "Police, Adjective") the principal style that stands out is the long static shots that are very evident. I think most people would find this boring and make the film less accessible because most people are accustomed to lots of editing and high tech camera work. In these Romanian films, it's completely the opposite. The camera hardly, if ever, moves, and the shots on average can last 10 minutes.
The scene I like the most in 4 Months is when Otilia is at her boyfriend's for dinner, and she doesn't want to be there because she wants to take care of her friend. Otilia's frustration is exhibited amazingly through her silent frustration, while everyone around her is eating, talking and laughing. The camera is static with Otilia in the center, with all this action going on around her. People are reaching, trying to talk to her, but they are too busy in their own world to see that she is silently in agony. This whole sequence was done in one shot, and from watching an interview with the director learned that it was the hardest sequence to shoot because there was so much that could have gone wrong, and they had to keep reshooting it. I was actually anticipating longer static shots than there were. Police, Adjective definitely stretched the length of single shots a lot more (and I loved that about the film). 4 Months makes this technique more accessible by not having the shots as long.

Another reason why I'm really digging Romanian cinema lately, that's quite evident in 4 Months, is the very unmaterialistic lifestyle that characters live. Granted, 4 Months takes place in 1987 when Romania was under Communist rule, but I really appreciate this way of life, from afar, since it is so different than the lifestyle I lead.

I really want to check out more Romanian films, and plan on making a point to seek them out. I recommend 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days if you feel like appreciating something that's different than Hollywood films. While the story is very heavy, it's depiction is amazing, and I feel like it shouldn't be missed.