4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS: A

Nothing good happens in 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, the riveting, horrifying chronicle of an illegal abortion performed in 1987 when Ceau¸escu's dictatorial hand still gripped Romania's throat. And yet no lover of greatness in filmmaking will want to look away from one of the very best movies of 2007, just now receiving its American release.... Director Cristian Mungiu has a daring sense of when to hoist a handheld camera and when to let the camera sit still while characters move in and out of the frame in long, unbroken takes — as in real life. Misery is everywhere in this spare masterpiece, but so is artistic triumph. —Lisa Schwarzbaum

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