Romania, 1987. Otilia and Gabita are students; they share a room in a hall of residence in Bucharest. Gabita is pregnant. The girls arrange to meet a certain Mr. Bébé in a cheap hotel. He will perform Gabita’s illegal abortion. But Mr. Bébé demands to be paid in kind.
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is a stunning achievement, directed with a purity and honesty that captures the constant, unremarked negotiations necessary for survival in the final days of the Soviet bloc. The film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.