4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days

• Released Internationally on 24/08/07
• Released in Malta by KRS on 29/10/08. Wide release on 11/03/09

(Romanian with English subtitles)

In a nutshell

Otilia and Gabriela are two university students who share a room in mid-80s communist Romania. Otilia offers to help the timid and clueless Gabriela arrange and go through with an illegal abortion, and the whole experience proves to be a complex and harrowing experience for both of them. Set and filmed in Bucharest, the film gained international attention after winning the Palme D’Or at the 2007 Cannes film festival.

Sad but true

Director and writer Cristian Mungiu based his screenplay on a true story, and he gives us a detailed look at the day that these two students promise to never talk about again. From the early morning preparations as they leave their dorm and set out for the hotel, through the meeting and dealing with the so-called ‘Mr. Bebe’, who carries out the clandestine terminations, we see through Otilia’s eyes the dread and frustration as the desperate day unfolds. The lengths she goes through for her hapless friend are amazing, but not a single event of the day rings untrue, as these very detailed and authentic characters live through their ordeal.

Not your average popcorn flick

The day is divided into sequences according to the changing locations, and each one is filmed with very long shots, creating a very unsettling sense of being there. If you like your films fast and furious, this might not be your cup of tea. The skills of the actors are all the more evident, as they take us through seemingly interminable scenes without missing a beat. It’s almost as if you’re watching a deranged reality-show, with real life unfolding at its normal pace as you stare on from your hidden camera.

Unsettling

As each lengthy scene progresses, the feeling of uneasiness builds. With the life of the girl at stake, both health-wise and legally, each moment of the day is fraught with importance. In possibly the best sequence, Otilia has to leave her friend for a while as she is obliged to attend a dinner party at her boyfriend’s house. She sits, silent, at the rowdy table as conversation flies around her, and we all know her mind is elsewhere. Faintly, in the background, the phone starts ringing, but the happy dinner guests are oblivious. It continues to ring, and she fears the worst. It’s simple, but eerily effective.

In the end

Films like this stand out because of how different they are. One might be forgiven for thinking that all films fall into certain cookie-cutter categories, as dictated by Hollywood. But we should remind ourselves that there’s a whole world of cinema out there, with certainly as much variety in quality as big-budget films themselves. Language barriers and accessibility are a problem, but thankfully once in a while something like a Palme D’Or can bring something like this to our screens. If you’re not in the mood for lighter fare, and if you want to see something very different, and very well-made, you can’t go wrong with this.

Trailer:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/4months3weeks2days/ (High-res Quicktime)

Gone Baby Gone

 

• Released Internationally on 19/10/07
• Released in Malta by KRS on 25/06/08

 

Preview (15/05/08)

In a nutshell

Ben Affleck’s directorial debut, about two detectives uncovering more than they bargained for when they investigate the disappearance of a four-year-old girl.

Why we’re hyped

This was released last October on the other side of the Atlantic, and it attracted a lot of praise, especially for the acting and for Affleck’s directing. (The release was delayed in certain parts of Europe, especially the UK, due to the uncanny similarities with the real-life missing British four-year-old Madeleine McCann).

Who’s in it?

Affleck’s younger brother Casey (Ocean’s 11, 12 and 13, The Last Kiss) and Michelle Monaghan (Mission: Impossible III) are the two detectives, whilst Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption, Batman Begins) and Ed Harris (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind) add class and experience, whilst Amy Ryan (Capote) delivers a head-turning supporting role.

 

Review (10/06/08)

Heavy drama

I wasn't surprised to discover that the author of the book on which Gone Baby Gone is based also wrote Mystic River, because both films have a bleak, working-class feel about them, and both are very good crime dramas set in the seedier areas of Boston. The plot follows two young but street-wise private investigators who are persuaded to 'augment' the police investigation into the disappearance of a four-year-old girl. As expected, the boys in blue aren't too pleased to see them at first, but eventually they join forces to track the girl down before it's too late. The deeper they dig, the more dirt they uncover, and Casey Affleck's character has to question his own beliefs and what he's willing to sacrifice in order to do what he believes is the right thing.

The good

To elaborate too much on the plot would be a disservice to the film, because Ben Affleck carefully peels back layer after layer of his plot onion, and does so quite brilliantly for a first-time director. The acting is top-notch on all levels, from Morgan Freeman as the police chief all the way down to Amy Ryan as the distraught mother. The real revelation though is Ben's brother, Casey, who after playing a wimp so convincingly in last year's Jesse James, walks the streets here as a confident no-nonsense and often unorthodox investigator.

The bad?

There's not much to complain about here. It's not exactly light summer fare, so don't sit down expecting an easy two hours. But not since Arlington Rd. have I sat during the end credits of a film and questioned so many of those things I previously took for granted.

The ugly

For anyone who followed the excessive media coverage of the McCann case, scenes from this film might be hard to handle since the child actress is eerily alike. However, apart from looks and age, these two missing person cases have little in common. Still, it serves as a shocking reminder that makes the film all the more relevant. There is a lot to discuss in this thought-provoking story, and part of its message is about a reality that is all around us.

 

 

Trailer:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/miramax/gonebabygone/ (High-res QuickTime)