4 months 3 weeks 2 days

From Juno to Knocked Up, America is in the midst of nursing a tender love affair with cinematic pregnancy. All those films offer cutesy laughs and a warm, fuzzy feeling inside, but ultimately present a coy attitude and pussyfoot around the idea of illegitimate pregnancy. Enter 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.

Winner of the Palme d'Or in 2007, 4 Months is a haunting film masterpiece. Set towards the fall of communism in Romania, writer/director Cristian Mungiu's film takes place over the course of one day. It follows Oitilia (Anamaria Marinca), a college student helping her roommate, Gabita (Laura Vasiliu), get a late-term abortion-an act that was illegal in Romania during the communist administration.

Mungiu dives right into the film, opening with no exposition and showing Oitilia and Gabita at the beginning of their tumultous day. Rife with subtlety, his script is demanding of the cast, but they all rise to the occasion. Marinca especially delivers with an astonishing performance as the tortured and responsible roommate. Marinca, the main character, spends little time away from the camera and emerges as the obvious star with her range of emotions.

Mungiu's directoral work is the driving force behind the film. His cinematography is simple, the shots are straightforward and sustained and the camera seldom moves unless the location of the scene changes. Each shot, some of which last up to six minutes, is evocative and revelatory. Otilia's emotions, already strong from Marinca's performance, are enhanced exponentially by the camera work.

Extending beyond the normal drama, Mungiu draws on elements of the thriller to enhance his film. From the unflinchingly grotesque imagery to the score-less sound design, 4 Weeks is designed to haunt its audiences with palpable tension. As much about Romania's cultural and political past and present as it is about abortion, Mungiu's work is a refreshingly real and visceral on-screen experience free of the conventions of most independent filmmaking.

Mungiu has crafted a modern masterpiece that is at times uncomfortable to watch but also engaging and brilliant. Every moment of his picture is nuanced, layered and carefully considered. There is not a sound, a frame nor a line without immense significance to the film.

The effects of 4 Months linger long after the credits end. Many have hailed the film as the dawning of a new age in Romanian filmmaking, but Mungiu's work will resound through all of cinema.