This Romanian film offers a rich opportunity for cultural study—set in 1987 (twenty years earlier than its release date), it shows us a country that is economically and socially opposite to the opulence of America at the time. But the director, Cristian Mungiu, manages to give this movie a more personal than cultural significance. The highly emotional content of the film, enhanced by the slooooowwww shooting style (hardly any cuts), creates an uncomfortable level of intimacy with the characters.
The political dimension of this film is hard to deny. In the lives of Gabita and Otilia, we see evidence of economic struggle, social desperation, and personal trauma that presumably result, in part, from the way their country is being governed. The careful arrangement of details in the film suggests that the director laments how these women are forced to the extremes we see, or that he is at least criticizing the social design that could lead to so much pain. But the pain remains deeply human as well, and is caused by personal choices.
The film makes no attempt, with the exception of the absent sex scenes we might have been subjected to, to shield us from the raw reality of Gabita’s unsanctioned abortion. Every stage of it is painstakingly shown to us: the arrangements made by Otilia, the clinical warnings of Mr. Bebe, his price, the wrapped foetus on the bathroom floor, the disposal. All of it seems directed at eliciting a real and human response from the audience. The difficulty is figuring out exactly how we are meant to respond.
Now here is your prompt: First, what is the purpose of telling this story in such stark and brutal detail, if we are not clearly shown the message of this film? Is the message that such experiences cannot be reduced to messages, to ideological neatness? Second, think specifically about the final moment of the film when Otilia looks out the window of the restaurant and appears to make eye contact with us. Is this breaking of the fourth wall (look it up!) an invitation to use or learn from what we have seen, or are we shocked out the illusion and invited to exercise greater and more personal empathy for the characters?
The message could be that there is no sure way to neatly tie up this experience into one cohesive “message” that the viewers can straightforwardly catch on to. The stark and brutal details shown offer many different messages to each individual viewer. I imagine the in your face elements evoke diverse responses within every viewer, ranging from compassion, regret, sorrow, or understanding to anger, annoyance, or even apathy. Personally, I felt that there was more neatness than maybe we are giving credit for, created by the continually chaotic happenings and the fact that the director could have exposed us to even more of the raw reality; considering we do not get any scenes containing how Gabita became pregnant, the actual removal of the fetus and placenta, or really any of Gabita’s actual feelings – physical or emotional. The film instead focuses on Otilia’s hardships and steers the viewer to see Otilia’s battles as more difficult than Gabita’s. Whereas, in real life, we would naturally sympathize more with the girl who is actually undergoing the abortion, in this case, the film emphasizes more of the social aspects that mainly Otilia faces.
ReplyDeleteWhen Otilia’s look out of the window breaks the fourth wall, we are able to both use and learn from what we have seen, and invited to empathize even more personally. I don’t see a clear distinction between one and the other because, like the many messages of the film, the ending invites several reactions. Since it is so rare that a character looks straight at the camera (or even appears to), we are undeniably shocked by it and experience various reactions, from wanting to reach your own arm in and hug this person who is looking at you in such agony, to complete thoughtfulness that what you just saw was totally preventable and should be counted as a lesson learned. Throughout the entirety of this film a tug-of-war exists between getting sucked into the intense reality of the situation and the feeling of being an outsider learning from the situation; the breaking of the fourth wall just brings that tug-of-war to a greater level.
I feel like telling the story in such a stark, brutal way illustrates just how sensitive, private, and controversial the topic of abortion is. A lot of people don’t sympathize with someone who has had an abortion, whether it be for religious reasons or just personal convictions. I felt the film did a great job of showing how intense the abortion situation is and an even better job of showing why it’s no one’s place to judge someone who has had an abortion. Many would be quick to judge Gabriela; she seems to show no compassion for what Otilia has also been through while assisting her with her abortion. However, no one can be certain what Gabriela is feeling or what exactly the situation was that got her into the predicament. This is also a universal issue. People can be eager to judge someone who has had an abortion without knowing all of the circumstances. In my opinion, this movie brilliantly showed why abortion isn’t such a black and white issue and why people shouldn’t see it that.
ReplyDeleteBy breaking the fourth wall, I absolutely think the director was blatantly inviting us into the situation. Prior to that, we were drawn into the film and the issue, but by breaking the fourth wall, it was as if we were being beckoned to seriously consider the issue in a new way. I also felt as though Otilia’s stare was very intense, as if we have all done things that others may deem wrong, but who are we to judge one another. I felt a little more empathetic to both characters as well. Personally, I cope with intense things like Gabriela: I try to avoid it and forget that it has ever happened so I can empathize with her in that regard. I also felt empathetic toward Otilia; she had to endure some serious hell to bail her friend out of a situation and doesn’t receive the gratitude she deserves (although I have no idea how you rightfully thank someone for helping them dispose of a fetus). Breaking the fourth wall made me feel like I was much more involved in the situation and absolutely made me think deeper into the situation.
The purpose of telling the story in such a dark and brutal detail is to show the message to the audience how sensitive and personal it is to have an abortion and scary of having one at that time in Romania. Mungiu does a good job of showing what the reality of having an abortion is. He shows that it is not so perfect and that with Gabita and Otilia's situation that a black market doctor may not just want money to do the operation. This makes it even scarier. The film also shows how Otilia does everything for Gabita, like have sex with the black market doctor and dispose of the dead fetus, and at the end of the film I feel like Otilia gets no "thank you" from Gabita in return. But I do keep in mind that Gabita has been through a trauma experience of having an abortion and the fear of ending up in prison if anyone found out.
ReplyDeleteWhen Otilia looks out the window in the final scene she does break the fourth wall of inviting us in to feel her sympathy and to take what she has done from it and learn from her experiences. Throughout the film we are already drawn in to the intense emotions about the issue, but when Otialia breaks the fourth wall it just makes us more drawn in to the situations that she has been through that could have been prevented. It also makes me personally to reach out to her because I feel her sympathy. To prevent so much into happening to your friend and in the end Otialia gets nothing in return from Gabita makes me even sympathize with her more. Also, when Otialia breaks the fourth wall you can't help but sympathy for what she has been through and learn from her mistakes.
I think that the purpose of telling this story is such an upfront and brutal way is to show the audience that this stuff really does happen and that it is not some simple procedure. When a woman has to go through something a traumatic as what Gabbi went through its not all laughs and smiles, it is a lot of dark moments and when someone decides to do something a permanent as getting an abortion it takes a lot of thought. Showing a film in such a way that is makes the audience react as though they are the ones going through it seems to be the most effective way of getting a point across and I think that is what the director wanted to portray. They wanted you to feel the pain that both Gabbi and Otilia went through.
ReplyDeleteI think that in the final scene where Otilia looks towards us can mean two different things. In one case I think that she does look like she is looking at us as the viewer, as though she has broken the fourth wall. It is as if she is asking us for help in some way. She had been through so much in a matter of hours and she can no longer keep it together and keep everything bottle inside. But then again it looks like she is just looking outside the window that they are sitting in front of. Maybe she is watching the rest of the world carry on as if they have no care in the world. They have no idea what had just happened and they are happy. I think that Otilia wishes that she could just erase the memory of having to deal with the abortion but she cant. There is no escaping it.
It’s possible to take some sort of message away from any film, but I do not think that 4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days was trying to give us a morality lesson about abortion. I believe that this film was just simply presenting the audience with a story instead of giving us a message. The details are so dark and brutal in order to give the audience a realistic, honest look into a scenario that was probably common during the time period. There’s no way for the audience to be accurately submersed and understand the situation without there being a mess. I feel like scenes of the abortion and Otilia disposing of the fetus were necessary for us to understand what was happening, but the sex scene wasn’t necessary and would have been almost cruel. At what point has a film gone too far in trying to tell a story?
ReplyDeleteI don’t think that Otilia making eye contact with us was inviting us to learn and use the information and events that have been laid in front of us, because what are we supposed to do with our new-found knowledge? Is this movie trying to discourage us from getting a shady abortion in Romania? This situation isn’t very likely to happen too many of the viewers, so I don’t think that’s what this film is trying to convey. I think Otilia breaking the fourth wall is supposed to make us feel more involved and connected with the characters as if we physically went on this journey with them—like we sat with them, heard their conversations, and felt their pain. This film drags us along through the story, but isn’t leaving us with much to contemplate after the final scene. This film is about the journey, not the destination or final outcome.
The purpose of telling this story in such stark and brutal detail, if we are not clearly shown the message of this film is so we can feel the emotion and drama that the characters feel. Abortion is a very sensitive topic and the story being told in stark and brutal detail gives us as the viewers the idea of how frightened and disturbed Gabita and Otilia truly are. The director was showing ideological neatness because he showed only the details that were necessary to get the point across. There were many scenes that could have been shown, like the sex scene with the black market doctor. Another example is leaving out the scene with the removal of the dead fetus.
ReplyDeleteThe final moment of the film when Otilia looks out the window of the restaurant and appears to make eye contact with us is both an invitation and an illusion. It is an invitation to use or learn from what we have seen because Mr. Bebe even made the statement that all people should pay for the consequences and learn from their mistakes. This experience of watching an abortion may even be a learning lesson to some students in the class to be wiser about the choices that we all make. We are also shocked out the illusion and invited to exercise greater and more personal empathy for the characters when Otilia makes eye contact with the audience. Her facial expression helps us feel the pain and grief we can see her experiencing.
The story is told in its stark and brutal detail to show that there can be many other factors involved through the process of going through an abortion, and that an abortion can have a great effect on an individual not even going through the process. The factor that has the greatest effect on everyone in this movie is trust. Throughout the film, everyone’s trust is being tested, and it seems that everyone but Otilia fails. Despite Gabita failing to do almost everything she is told through the whole film, and causing Otilia to do terrible acts multiple times, for example having sex with the abortionist, who could not be trusted as well, Otilia still stays with Gabita throughout the entire film. The ironic part of this is, Otilia is the most trustworthy, but her trustworthiness causes her to suffer the most, even though she did not have to go through the abortion process. She could have easily told Gabita no on multiple occasions, but she went through with everything anyways.
ReplyDeleteWhen Otilia breaks the fourth wall at the end of the film, she is both inviting us to learn from everything that has happened in the film and attempting to cause the audience to have more empathy towards her, and maybe Gabita as well. Otilia wants us to realize that not everyone can be trusted, even someone who is as close of a friend to an individual as Gabita is to her. Otilia may also want the audience to learn that the planning of an event as important as an abortion should not be left to one person, because it cannot be certain whether that individual has been truthful of all the facts, and has correctly planned everything. The expression on Otilia’s face at the end of the film is certainly a silent cry for help, and with that one expression, it is easy for the audience to have an increased sense of empathy towards Otilia.
I am not really sure of what the message of this film really is. There is no doubt about it that this film opens up some of the darkest areas one can experience in life. I can’t imagine trying to put such a tragic event into a message. I feel like they did a good job in not trying to put a message into this movie. The only way to give off any message, whatever it may be is to show the rawness of reality in this movie. Of all subjects this movie could have touched on, it touched on one of the most controversial subjects known to man. This movie gave us as viewers a brief and brutal glimpse into a fraction of what some women undergo to have an abortion. The physical, and mental strains involved. It also showed me that abortion is not so cut and dry as I would like it to be, there are always other variables that we cannot see.
ReplyDeleteWhen Otilia looks out the window at the end of the movie, Otilia does break the fourth wall of inviting us in to her life, into her mind, into her world for a brief moment, so that we can sympathize with her. As viewers of this film, we were drawn into the emotional and controversy of this issue. Otialia broke the fourth wall and I feel like when she did this, she asked us, invited us to look more into this issue then what ust meets at the eye. I felt pretty bad about the whole situation that occurred, but then again I have a hard time sympathizing with her because of my beliefs. This movie does challenge you to think and question what you believe is right and wrong and is there grey in an area that is considered black and white
abortion is one of those things you can't wrap up in a little bow and dilute to something that's easy to swallow. i think everyone tries because if we saw it for what it really was then we would be heartbroken. i think that is a reason why this film is done in a way that takes emotions out and leaves you with the facts. because it's almost better to be heartbroken than naive, at least in this case. it's also fairly easy to trick ourselves into thinking that other countries aren't really that bad or they were exaggerating when they said it got this way..no. in Romania, shit hit the fan and it was BAD. this film clearly portrays just how bad things had gotten.
ReplyDeletefor me the last frame of this movie was the most tragic. they (otilia) have gone through all of this pain and trauma and for what? to have gabi act like the oblivious numbskull she is and leave otilia alone with the fear that she would have to do this AGAIN, but without someone to follow and clean up the mess. let's face it - gabi can't even help herself let alone help otilia through this. i feel like her glance was a bit of both, but mostly a look that said, "can i make this anymore blatant and obvious? don't make our mistakes." the glass between the table and us really does put them on display for the viewer and makes the "lesson" even more of an impact with her last look towards us.
I believe that the purpose of telling this story with the unflinching and uncomfortable details and then refusing to give the audience a clear message is, simply put, to force each individual audience member to draw his/her own conclusions. The director refuses to give us a clear message of what he thinks, because it doesn’t matter what he thinks—what matters is what we, the audience, think. We have no opinion to argue with at the end of the film, no answer we can agree or disagree with. He is forcing us to think critically about the situation, presenting the situation in such a manner that we are forced to look inside ourselves, our belief systems, our judgments, and find out we it is we really believe not only about ourselves, but about the world and all its inherent complications. The debate about abortion both politically and personally is alive today as it ever was, and is a gray area of morality where the answer is not cut and dry, but the passions of the debaters would often make it seem so. Many people feel strongly one way or the other on abortion, and this movie challenges us to hold our beliefs under a microscope and dissect them, finding out what holds them together and why. As a woman, I think this movie hits closer to home for me, because in all reality, abortion is a woman’s issue; it’s about our bodies and our health and potentially our abandonment in motherhood. I think this film touches on that as well—we hear and see nothing of the father of the baby, and by the male adults we see in the movie, women aren’t highly respected or valued, nor are their opinions. They are simply objects to fulfill sexual desire or are a replacement of a man’s mother in the home (the potato conversation at the dinner table). That’s not to say a man’s opinion isn’t valid on this issue and shouldn’t be considered, but the scores of single mothers across America (and the world) today should be proof enough that pregnancy and abortion are a woman’s cross to bear alone, and therefore her opinion should hold more weight than a man’s.
ReplyDeleteThe breaking of the fourth wall at the end, the realization that we are looking at these women through glass, like the fish in the first scene, is both unsettling and extremely powerful. It’s as if we are taken on the roller coaster ride of this journey, with the long takes and close-ups, with the relentless details and our own helplessness, and then forced to take a step back at the end, forced off the ride and into a spectator seat. I think that is has a powerful effect on how we walk away from this movie, on what we take from it. It’s easy to get invested in the characters, to get involved emotionally, to take on the burden of their raw vulnerability. It also makes it easier to disconnect it from our real lives, because we become so involved in the characters. By forcing us to look at the girls behind the glass, and by having Otilia look at us at the end, a reality hits home as it has at no other point in the movie. It no longer becomes a story we’ve watched unfold on film, it becomes a story that could potentially unfold in our lives. The film becomes a jolting reminder that this isn’t just about two women in Romania in the 1980s, it’s about women everywhere, about you, or me, or any women we know in our lives. As a woman, it serves as a harsh reminder that this story could be my story, that we live in a world where things like this happen, in places where women aren’t protected or safe. I would have been able to separate myself from this realization had I not seen the women through the glass. It would have been easy to see it as an isolated event, an isolated film, and not a mirror to the painful reality of women in this world. The film now requires me to examine my own life, my own choices, and see how I can learn from this situation during my own journey through this sometimes frozen and dark landscape of life.
This is the kind of story that has to be shown in an extreme way. An abortion is a big deal in America today; a fiery political and ethical issue. The setting of the movie, at a time when abortions were illegal and clearly dangerous makes it vital that the movie be shown in brutal detail in order to more understand the characters. The message couldn’t have been portrayed more clearly in any other way. The viewer is even protected from what some would consider a more gruesome part of the movie, when Mr. Bebe forces the girls’ hands and makes them have sex with him. SO in a way, we are not subjected to the full extent of the brutality. We must see the bloody, deformed fetus – the sum of all the actions that led up to its death, if that is what you consider it to be. This is a very hot button issue and the honesty of the film confronts the issue head on.
ReplyDeleteI believe that in the final scene, Otilia is breaking the fourth wall. She seems to stare right at the audience desperately. She is not receiving any real appreciation for all that she is been through. Perhaps the purpose of breaking the fourth wall is that she is seeking some kind of recognition from the viewer. This effect doubles my feeling of almost pity towards Otilia. As a final moment, it is fitting that the two girls would be sitting across from each other in an otherwise very normal situation – something that it seems Gabita is trying to go back to. After everything, they are still there. There is no telling who suffered more, because both of them were subjected to an extraordinary set of circumstances, but clearly in that final scene, it is Otilia who is seeking comfort.
I think the purpose of showing this film in the matter that it did was to show how illegal abortion could affect everyone connected to the person having the procedure. In the film we see more of Otilia’s reactions to the abortion then Gabita’s. We see how Otilia is affected emotionally (her fear of getting caught, worry that the abortion won’t go correctly, sadness of having to dispose of the fetus, etc.) as well as physically (having to “pay” Mr. Bebe). But the abortion not only affected the people directly connected to it but also friends and relatives as well. We see that Otilia starts to argue with her boyfriend and disrespects her boyfriend’s family. While small, these actions put a strain on Otilia’s life, which wouldn’t have been caused if it weren’t for the abortion. The stark and brutal details of this film show the reality that one must face in having an abortion and that it has grave consequences.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a breaking of the fourth wall. When Otilia looks up at the camera with a distressed look on her face, it is indicating the consequences of having an abortion can have on one’s personal well being. She is physically and emotionally exhausted from the ordeal and won’t be the same person she was before the abortion. It also feels like Otilia is trying to warn the audience when she looks up. Like “This is what happens if you decide to do this.” It’s almost like she does want us to learn from both hers and Gabita’s mistakes and to not make the same ones. The Director did a wonderful job at making the audience emphasize with the characters of the film and this last shot of Otilia looking up at them with the distressed look on her face brings it over the top.
I think the purpose of telling this story in such stark and brutal detail is because there is really no other way to tell a story such as the one like this. It is a very real, traumatic, and terrifying situation. Though we do not know anything about the father of Gabitas’ baby, it is pretty obvious he is not in the picture and she is very much alone through this process. Contrary to whomevers beliefs about abortion, it is always a serious and very heartbreaking situation, and I think this film portrays those things through its stark and brutal detail. I think the director made the movie with the intention to not directly display the message; but rather to display it because it helps us, as viewers, to understand and become more connected to Gabita and Otilia, as well as their situation at hand.
ReplyDeleteThe final scene of Olitia looking through the window definitely displays breaking of the fourth wall. I think that it is both an invitation to use and learn from what we have seen as well as to exercise greater empathy for the characters. You can automatically see the pain and suffering through Olitias’ facial expression, which shows that she is inviting us to use and learn from the mistakes we have seen. It shows that this was no sort of easy for either Olitia or Gabita. On the same end, it also helps us to exercise greater empathy for the characters. Even if the viewer is against abortion, after watching this film and viewing that scene you can’t help but to feel pain and sorrow for these two characters. The confusion and agony in Olitias’ face shows how real and draining these situations can be. For me, this final scene brought out great empathy and understanding. Most importantly, it brought out an understanding that I otherwise wouldn’t have had about the topic of abortion prior to watching this film.
This film would be less affective without the brutal details. I believe that without showing the severity of the entire process the film would be unable to evoke the same amount of emotion it was able to by showing grave details. Many people are passionate about the subject of abortion but many do not understand the full implications of a woman having the right to choose what she wants for her own body. For me this film reinforced what I believe about abortion and may have changed other viewer’s minds. I think the message being unclear shows that the director honestly wanted to tell a story. This leaves each viewer to interpret their own message. We aren’t told what to believe we are simply given a story in its entirety without holding anything back and then we are able to decide how it makes us feel and what it means to us.
ReplyDeleteI do believe Otilia looking at the camera broke the fourth wall. By doing this I feel the viewer is invited into the film. For many having an illegal abortion performed is something we are unable to relate to. But it is easy to relate to a young woman whose mistakes, and whose friends mistakes have caused her to make bad decisions that only lead to pain and sorrow. In that moment the viewer is able to feel what Otilia is feeling and regardless of our personal opinions on the morality of the entire situation we want to hug her and absolve her guilt. I also interpreted the look as a type of warning. We had seen everything that had come out of their situation and were now aware of the pain it could bring. I felt like this was Otilia pleading to the viewers to make better, healthier, and safer decisions.
To me the message is clear. It gives a clear detailing of what women have gone through, and in some countries women still go through this. Although we do not know how Gabita became pregnant, it appears as if she has no choice but to abort the baby. This could be a show of supporting legalized abortion but I see it showing the anguish the women of that country had to go through. Otilia bore the brunt of the responsibility. She made sure there was enough money, paid for the room, met the abortionist and even wrapped the fetus to dispose of it. She also paid with her body which was going above and beyond in supporting Gabita. The terror she must have felt as she was looking for a place to dispose of the fetus was palatable. There was clearly a message.
ReplyDeleteWhen Otilia looks out of the window of the restaurant, a viewer does get jolted out of how involved we are in the movie. Up until that point it feels as if we have an invested part in all that is taking place. It reminds us that it is just a movie and we are not a part of it. Her expression had a look anguish and disbelief. Anguish for what she had been put through that day and disbelief on how unaffected Gabita appeared to be. Otilia’s apparent eye contact can be seen as “Hey, learn from this. Don’t make the same mistakes we did.” I also think it is an invitation to acknowledge their plight.
I think the purpose of the film showing all of the dark details is to elicit a emotional response. Although this film does not seem to have a pro choice or pro life agenda, the struggles these two girls face touched me because of the intensity of their challenges. The lack of clears message in this film does not prevent viewers from finding a personal message. I’m sure that the horrible experience these girls went through is meant to somehow relay to viewers that such occurrences cannot be reduced to a single message; however, this statement is not what came to mind after finishing this film. To me, this film was meant to portray an intense story of two girls trying to get out of a very trying situation that was placed on them by society.
ReplyDeleteI do not think Otilia broke the fourth wall by looking at the camera. At the beginning of the film, there was an image of the two fish in a fish bowl. Similarly, at the end of the film, there is a window separating the viewer from the characters. I think this represents that the two girls are in a fish bowl, with no where to go. I think Otilia is looking out the window because she regrets the predicament she is in and feels the hopelessness of being trapped. I do think that this movement by Otilia invites the audience to exercise greater empathy for the girls and also allows the audience to depart without feeling so intertwined with the their situation because the camera had been in the room with them the entire movie.
Although the movie didn’t come out and openly say whether it was for or against abortion, the way it was filmed showed me that those involved with making the movie feel as though anything is better than illegal abortions. The dangers that come with illegal abortion are almost more scary and dangerous than the actual abortion itself, for example Mr. Bebe’s forms of payment. He knows the ropes and can smell the fear and want to get the abortion over with so he capitalized on it to get both sex and money. The movie put us in the situation; it took us to that place and time. Certain hand-held shots made me feel like I was right there with Otilia, like we were both rushing and panicking together. I think that was the absolute main goal, to take the audience along for the ride and take to a place in the movie where the only way out to see it through. By doing so I understood that making abortion illegal backs a lot of women in a corner and as a result they must compromise themselves even further.
ReplyDeleteOtilia breaking the fourth wall confirms the fact that we really were along for the ride with these girls. She looks at the audience as if we were the third person supporter, as if it was finally over and she was hurting and needed to tell someone that without actually speaking. By breaking the fourth wall it made the experience very real and even more traumatizing. It hits home that there is something to be learned by what had happened. Otilia’s eyes show so much pain and almost an emptiness because of that. Breaking the fourth wall was innovative and I applaud the director for making that decision. I don’t think any other ending would have been able to cap off the movie as well.
I believe the purpose of this film is to show that not everyone on this planet can handle the same situations as another person like them. Gabita going through the whole abortion proved to the audience that she is scared and she is depressed because she is in this difficult situation. Otilia is a wonderful friend because she is taking her time out of her own life in order to make sure her friend is alright. These girls are both Romanian and obviously their culture is completely different from the American culture. The way this film is made is to show that this situation that these girls are in is a dark and terrifying situation. There is barely to little to no light is most of the film because this film is so intense on the subject of abortion.
ReplyDeleteOtilia is breaking the fourth wall. It is as she wants us to know what she is going through and understand her pain as a viewer. We have witness her struggle to deal with Gabita and her abortion. She was basically the only who has done all the work for Gabita, including the dirty work of getting rid of the actual child. She feels all the pain that Gabita feels because Gabita doesn’t want to come to the reality of things. Gabita has erased all of this from her mind and shes pretending like none of this has happened, but Otilia knows that this will be with her forever because she took this situation to heat because it affected her life and her future. Otilia’s look at the end of the film shows us all of this in one facial expression.
I think the purpose of telling this story in such stark and brutal detail is for the purpose of director to show the viewer the sensitivity and emotional effect an abortion can have on an individual. Abortion in today’s society is a very controversial procedure that is seen as an act of crime, hatred, and even an easy way out. This film shows Gabita, a girl in Romania go through the emotional effects of having an abortion before and after the fact. The type of procedure that was performed compared to the type of procedure performed in today’s time differences in major ways. The way the director composed this film extended the emotion off screen into the viewer’s eyes so that the viewer had an emotional experience as well which I think the director wanted to do and succeeded in doing.
ReplyDeleteI think in the final moment of the film when Otilia appears to make eye contact with us when she looks out the window is the breaking of the fourth wall. I feel this fourth wall is broken because of how the director extended the emotions of Gabita and Otilia off screen into the viewers own personal emotions. When Otilia appeared to make eye contact with us it was if she was not only extending her own personal emotions but in a way looking for to us as the viewer for some type of acknowledgment. The eye contact was as if she was, I don’t want to say begging but wanted a thank you, or what you did was really brave and Gabita is lucky to have a friend that would even consider helping a friend to the extent that you did. That’s what I think is happening by her breaking the fourth wall and making such a deep and emotional contact with the viewer.
I think that mainly, the purpose of the stark and brutal detail of the film and its subject matter is realism. While it is not a true story per se, the film depicts a reality that existed not too long ago (certainly, within or directly tangential to many of our lifetimes). Whether the film is intended to be political or merely historical, it still serves the same purpose to depict the story in as graphic a manner as possible because it is a graphic subject matter: when your subject is as controversial and evocative as that of "4 Months...", it cannot be sugar-coated, so to speak, without losing some of the impact in translation. It is a heart-rending story, and it plays out horrifically, but to properly convey the emotion behind it, the movie has to play out a certain way.
ReplyDeleteWhen Otilia looks through the window in the final scene of the film, I interpreted it as not necessarily a cry for help, but a reaching-out nonetheless. She had just slogged through a hellacious and interminable ordeal, all for someone else's benefit, and at the end of it all, she had nothing to show for it: Gabita stated plainly that this was something they were not going to talk about again. It's hard to decide who to feel worse for in this scene, because they have both been party to a terrible trauma, but in that particular scene, Otilia seems to be the only one who is actively experiencing it: while Gabi is internalizing, Otilia wears her agony like a straitjacket, wanting nothing more than for somebody to acknowledge what has happened, what she has done, what she has lost--ANYTHING. For my money, when she looks out into the night in the last scene, she is looking for someone, ANYONE, with whom to commiserate.
I loved this movie because there was absolutely nothing pretty about it. It wasn’t in English so it was hard to follow along sometimes. It wasn’t set in a beautiful city. It was filmed with one perspective at many times and the dialogue was very harsh and realistic. This movie to me can fully be summarized as completely sugar-free. Otilia’s life and problems are thrust upon us as if we are intruders into her world and we have to catch up and quickly understand the gravity of what is going on to her. Just like if you entered any random person on the streets life if they were suffering through a tough time. I loved that aspect. It just helped immerse you and understand what her situation is like.
ReplyDeleteI think the fourth wall is broken for a number of reasons. She has this look to her of complete and utter defeat that she’s never shown before in the movie and finally we see that strong woman that we’ve seen throughout the whole story break down and give up. This in my opinion was brought on by the sheer indifference of her friend to the sacrifice that otilia made for her. It hurts so much to see her driven to this. And finally without words she is able to communicate with us how she truly feels about the situation. I feel no forgiveness at all towards Gabi because she almost has no conscience at all. She’s so detached emotionally because of the abortion that she doesn’t even seem capable of human emotions. And the one that pays the price is Otilia.