Cinema World Tour, Film #23
Country: Romania
Rating: 9/10
Palme d'Or winner in Cannes. A Metascore of 97/100. Produced by one of my favourite countries on earth, the amazing Romania. Yes, my expectations were high. But this film easily exceeded them.
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is an incredible achievement which manages to keep you at the edge of your seat despite it's extreme simplicity. No music, just a few cuts, very steady (but incredible) cinematography. Hollywood suspense clichés aren't used at all, the film rather plays with our expectations. Many hints earlier in the story (the knife f.e.) are just left unused, while the audience assumed it would cause problems later on. And still, this is one of the most suspenseful films I've seen in a while. The reason for that is mostly the tense atmosphere director Cristian Mungiu creates, as well as the absolutely outstanding actors. They all do a terrific job, but Annamaria Marinca as Otilia is simply astonishing. The style, pacing and rhythm of this film are so absorbing and self-reliant, Mungiu's work will keep you thinking for quite a while after you've watched it.
This film is not political though. The focus is on something else here, the political background just serves as the setting. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is pure art.
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