What if you had to arrange an abortion for your roommate? What if you were back in 1987 in Cauşescu era, in communist Romania, where abortion was illegal and punishable by life imprisonment? What would you do for a friend?
Găbiţa and Otilia are two university students that deal with one of the most silent dramas of our society. When Găbiţa gets pregnant, Otilia provides for her friend in the most honest way, arranging the meeting with Mr. Bebe, the man who would perform the abortion. She’s not willing to be thanked and she’s not expecting anything back, despite risking everything she has. She’s determined and cold, sometimes almost impersonal. On the other hand Găbiţa is highly irresponsible. She’s unable to look after herself and her white lies would definitely jeopardize the whole thing if it wasn’t for Otilia.
The director and screenwriter Cristian Mungiu kept the plot simple. The takes are long; the dialogues are as natural as possible, it almost feels like a play, characterized by minimalism and great sense of aesthetic. There’s no romance, no action, no sentimentalism, almost no gratitude. This movie is no melodrama; it’s a starting point, a food for thought. There’s no moral or political opinion given, it’s up to the watcher to think over the effect of abortion on friendship and family. It’s still important to consider that this is not a movie about abortion; instead, it can be considered as a try to depict the strength of bonds between people when they’re put in danger and the communist dictatorship, with its power to make people isolated and uncommunicative, it’s a perfect background for the director’s purpose. Otilia is definitely the main character of the story. You can see her evolving as the movie goes on and becoming more and more aware of who she is and of her relationship with other people and that’s what really makes it possible for the watchers to reason out the everyday issues that are brought out in the film.
In his 2007 film, winner of the Palm d’Or award, Cristian Mungiu portrayed a raw slice of real life, using his own words, in communist Romania, with a budget of less than 800.000$. And he did it great.
Living Europe 
Wow… you got me very curious about this. I loved reading this, great job!
I find the idea of a woman taking her clothes off and spreading her legs open for a doctor to be despicable. Is it better to be involuntarily oppressed by the government or voluntarily raped by a doctor? A legal abortion is only a form of freedom if a woman can perform the procedure herself, in private.
“Voluntarily raped” is such an interesting oxymoron.
I’m sure you understand that it’s impossibile to perform an abortion yourself (and it’s extremely dangerous to have it performed illegaly, by someone who’s not a doctor) and that there are many female doctors, if this makes any difference for you. This said, as a woman, I think no girl or woman should be forced to have a gynaecological examination if she doesn’t want to. Personally speaking, I have never felt like being raped while having one. I’ve never felt ashamed and I’ve never felt pain (it’s not painful at all, but how could you know that?). I’m not saying it’s always absolutely necessary, but when you’re aware your body has some problems, you call a doctor and you know it might be necessary to be inspected, you’re choosing to do something. But this is just my opinion!
I guess your point of view would have been even more interesting to me, if you were a woman. Otherwise, this sounds a bit like rich aristocrats planning a revolution for the poors, which never works.
Thanks for sharing your opinion!
Taken from a converse perspective… If my cock was rotting off, I’d have no problem showing it to a doctor!
I think that choice does play a big part in healthcare (at least in the western world) these days! If you don’t like, or don’t want to see your doctor, just replace them. We have no shortage of healthcare professionals. Further to that, our healthcare professionals have a duty to remove any sexual motives from their job… It’d be impractical for them to get some kind of gratification from every single patient!
We saw this movie, also, and found it excellent. I really loved the way the conflict was drawn, and the depiction of life in Romania at that time. Movies can be such wonderful time capsules. This movie is a vivid reminder of life under the dictatorship as the hoi polloi would have lived it. Nice review!
’m really glad you liked this review and that you had the same impressions I had about this movie, which is excellent in my opinion!
Thanks for taking the time to read this post 🙂
Very good review, I will look for this film!
Thank you! 🙂
If you’ve not already seen it, this reminds me of “The Lives of Others” which won 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film. About a couple in East Germany during communism whose home is bugged by the secret police for suspected subversive activities. The main surveillance agent becomes embroiled in their lives through listening to the tapes as he contrasts their lives with his own oppression. He makes an important decision affecting them and him…
I have seen that movie, I’ve liked it, and I agree with you: the historical background makes the atmosphere in the two movies quite similar. It’s another good film that depicts the way dictatorship affects people’s lives. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us! 🙂
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