TWO MUST-SEE MOVIES

TWO MUST SEE MOVIES
Lynn Ruth Miller

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Starring Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu and Vlad Ivanov
Written and directed by Cristian Mungiu
Romanian with sub titles
1 hour, 53 minutes
Not rated

If you have any doubts about legalizing abortion, see this film. It is set during the last year of the Ceausescu dictatorship in Romania and is the story of two college roommates, Gabita (Laura Vasiliu) and Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) attempting to arrange an illegal abortion for Gabita. The time span is 24 hours that feels like eternity filmed in slow, agonizing motion that transforms it into a tragedy that cannot possibly be resolved.
It is no wonder this movie won the Palme d’Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. It is a stunning achievement. The viewer is part of the action and the gradual build-up the roadblocks that keep these young women from finishing the job they began has the feel of an accelerating nightmare. There is not one false note in this beautifully textured story. We weep at the overwhelming weight of soul-destroying decisions the two girls make once they have begun the process of ridding Gabita of her baby, almost five months into her pregnancy.
The abortionist, (Vlad Ivanov) is repellent yet completely believable. Despite his bullying and escalating demands of payment from both girls in far more than cash, we realize that he risks imprisonment at best if he is discovered.
Mungiu does not spare us one grisly detail. We see the abortion from its beginning until Otilia disposes the fetus. Marinca’s acting is stellar. She conveys her inner struggles in poignant silence and makes us share the emotional torture she endures when she realizes she has stepped into a quagmire more unthinkable than she ever imagined in an effort to help a friend. The movie is an emotional and cinematic work of art, grim and frightening, revealing of the fallibility of us all.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Starring Frances McDormand, Amy Adams & Lee Pace
Directed by Bharat Nalluri
Written by David Magee and Simon Beaufoy
Based on the novel by Winifred Watson
1 hour 32 minutes
PG-13

This is another story that takes place in just 24 hours. But in total contrast to 4 Hours, 3 Weeks & 2 days, this movie is 90 minutes of delightful, sweet confection, a treat for eyes, ears and heart. The music alone makes the film a pleasure; the characters elevate it to sublime. Amy Adams as Delysia is gorgeous and adorable all in one breath and Miss Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) is her perfect foil as a strait-laced vicar’s daughter and governess who cannot hold down a job. She manages to convince Delysia that she is the social secretary the agency sent over and the two plunge into a delicious romp with boyfriends stumbling over one another and Miss Pettigrew smoothing out impending disasters. The ending is predictable it’s true, but this is not intended to be a movie of surprises. It is meant to be gorgeous fun and that is just what it is.
The story is an adult fairy tale we ache to be real because every character is choice. We love each one for his foibles and the daring to expose them. This film is an example of how perfect casting, amazing music and relentless attention to detail can transform a little nothing of a plot into an endearing hour and a half, irresistible and memorable. You’ll want to see it twice to absorb the visual delights and buoyant satisfaction when everyone gets exactly what he deserves.