4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)
This holds nothing back in its depiction of the grueling process of an illegal abortion. This is just one single story of what women have been forced to endure countless times. And mostly alone. Graduation is far from this bleak, but it shows that it is the same director with how he tells a very close intimate “slice of life”-story to show the darker consequences of repressive politics.
What I think makes this film’s portrayal of how repressive society abuses women unique, is that the two roommates are equally vulnerable and strong. They are young, in doubt, makes mistakes, doesn’t know what to do and clearly don’t feel mature enough to actually handle what they need to, but they do it anyway. But not without terrible costs.
I must praise the directing here with how it uses very long takes in static shots, where a seemingly normal situation gradually turns more tense and uncomfortable. There are no shocks or surprises as such, the whole situation as it develops where it actually ends “well”, there isn’t any relief or sense of accomplishment. Things aren’t necessarily going to get better from now on.
Rating: 4.5