(Romania) Directed by Cristian Mingiu. Stars Laura Vasiliu and Anamaria Marinca.

Like Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Cristian Mingiu’s Palme d’Or winning 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is an equally demanding and riveting watch. Evoking Schnabel’s film which is mostly photographed from the perspective of its crippled protagonist, cinematographer Oleg Mutu’s camerawork in 4 Months is usually static and holds for long takes; usually one shot per scene. Characters move in and out of the frame, creating feelings of paranoid tension and claustrophobia, and sucking audiences into its dreary and bleak world along the way.

Set in Romania during the final days of Communism, when the Romanian state sought to control the reproductive lives of its citizens, pregnant university student Gabita (Laura Vasiliu) has no choice other than to try to navigate these treacherous straits by aborting her child. Gabita’s lucky enough to have devoted roommate Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) to help her get an illegal abortion in a cheap hotel room. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that the abortionist, Mr. Bebe (Vlad Ivanov), is no humanitarian and wants to be paid in kind. Thus we see the desperation and emotional blackmail that the two go through as director Mingiu films with such an unflinching eye, the whole ordeal does seem very real— thanks also in part to the naturalistic performances of its three main actors.

Still, for all its grit, the film is completely devoid of any real emotional or comic release, and leaves you very exhausted by the end. But Mingiu’s achievement lies in his telling and framing of this dark human drama that is never gimmicky. It is simply and superbly shot in a superficially plain documentary style that reinforces the brutal reality that informs the movie’s naturalism.—3.5 stars by Terry Ong

The film is on Jun 20, 1pm. The Picturehouse, 5/F, The Cathay, 2 Handy Rd. Free for Singapore Film Society (SFS) members. Membership ($30-90) available at the door.