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Cristian Mungiu
Occident (2002)
4 Luni 3 Saptamani si 2 Zile/ 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)
is virtually a horror movie, except that it is about the psychological
humiliation of two girls not a gorey massacre.
During the communist regime in Romania, two female students who share a room
in a dorm, the shy Gabita and the more experienced
and bossy Otilia, are preparing for a two-day trip because Gabita needs
an abortion.
Gabita gives Otilia a sum of money. Later Otilia meets her boyfriend Adi
who is about to take an exam and he too gives her money. They argue because
he wants her to attend his mother's birthday dinner and she would prefer not to
because she has something else more important to do. She reluctantly agrees to
show up and to buy flowers.
She then looks for a hotel, a process which involves dealing with unfriendly
bureaucrat. Then she tells Gabita where to meet, and heads for the place where
the doctor, Bebe, is waiting.
It's a quick tour of the dilapidated urban landscape of the communist country.
They finally arrive at the hotel where the staff is unfriendly as usual.
The "doctor" is even more unfriendly to the girls. He interrogates Gabita
to find out exactly how pregnant she is and, when he finds out she's already
in the fourth month, he is upset.
Otilia offers the money that a friend advised her to give him. He laughs at the
amount and instead demands sex with both. Gabita is shocked and embarrassed.
The man is ready to walk out.
Having already paid for the hotel
and not being in a position to postpone any longer,
Gabita begs him. They offer him more money
promising they will raise it quickly. The man wants to walk out of the deal.
Then the rational Otilia offers herself. She coldly undresses and let him
have sex with her, while Gabita runs water from the sink in the bathroom
to cover the noise. Then Otilia walks into the bathroom to wash herself
and it's Gabita's turn.
Otilia can hear her sobbing while she performs her duty.
Once they are done, the doctor proceeds to perform the abortion in a very
cold and detached manner. He gives Otilia instructions on how to dispose of
the fetus so that the police will not be alerted. He has warned Gabita that
she will bleed copiously. In the meantime Otilia has opened his briefcase
and found a knife in it, that she hides.
Otilia is obviously a good friend: she has gone through hell in order to help
Gabita, despite the fact that Gabita failed to do or lied about so many things.
(It was Gabita who was supposed to book the hotel room, and it was Gabita
who was supposed to meet the taxi driver, and it made a difference that she
was four-month pregnant).
Otilia leaves Gabita to go to Adi's place. She has forgot to buy the flowers
and she is late. During the dinner the guests, mostly doctors, argue about the
lack of good manners. When Otilia accepts a cigarette, one of them points out
that it's a lack of respect towards Adi's parents.
The phone was ringing but nobody picked it up.
They drink to Adi's mother. Then Adi and Otilia move to his room and she tells
him what happened (except the sex part). Otilia asks Adi what he would do
if she got pregnant, and realizes that he has no clue. He is opposed to
abortion but has no alternative. Otilia reflects that Gabita is the only
one who would help her (indirectly, she explains why she helped Gabita even
if Gabita represented such a nightmare). Otilia is disappointed in Adi,
and even resents it when Adi tries to make peace. She calls Gabita but
there is no answer from the room.
Otilia hurries back to the hotel running through dark alleys (and vomiting
the dinner). When she gets to the room, she finds Gabita asleep. Gabita
whispers that she got rid of it. Otilia has to collect the fetus from the
bathroom, wrap it in a bag, and dispose of it (dropping it in the garbage
chute of a building).
Back at the hotel she finds Gabita eating and smoking at the restaurant.
They agree that they will never talk about the whole fact ever again.
Beyond the Hills (2012)
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