4 months, 3 weeks, 2 days

What a movie! Otilia is best friend with Gabriella, and Gab is pregnant. This is a Romanian film, set in the last year of communist rule. By 1958, Romania had the occupation of its country by the USSR ended, and Romania was "free," free to be a part of the Warsaw Pact, or a country that was part of the USSR coalition against NATO. Nicolae Ceauşescu,the premier of Romania, pursued some independent programs without approval of the USSR, and there were some moments when Romania suspected that the USSR might move its army back in, esp after Hungary of 1956 and Czechoslovakia of 1968. Anyhoo, Ceausescu embarked on some economic hardship programs in the 1970's and this resulted in many hardships for the people. The birth rate declined. Ceausescu then decided to "reward" women who had babies, giving them a "bonus pay" and other benefits, and declaring abortion illegal. Women who were forced to have unwanted children could give them up to the state - and these orphanages were underfunded, and poorly cared for these children. It is estimated that 2 million Romanians were killed under the communist dictatorship - Ceausescu and his wife were shot after the revolution in 1990. This film shows Romania of 1989: grim apartments, dirty run down little cars, lines of women waiting outside shops, and the only thing in supply was sugar (from Cuba). The abortionist shows up, "Mr. Bebe," and doesnt want money, he wants to have sex with Gab and Otilia. With grim detachment, Otilia goes first and then Gab. Mr. Bebe I think is symbolic of the state: he exploits their situation, rapes them both, and then kills the child inside Gab. That was the status of women in Romania at that time: they were treated like wombs, the gov wanted their wombs, just like Mr. Bebe. What a bastard. After the fall of Ceausescu, many international orgs assisted with the many orphaned children that were poorly treated under Ceausescu. There is a long awkward dinner scene with Otilia's boyfriend's family, a professional family of doctors, which I think showed how some privileged people did well under Ceausescu - but the contrast between Otilia's life outside in the dark trying to get back to Gab to check on her with the affluent family having dinner shows the opposing ends that existed in the communist dictatorship. What i find fascinating is how ancient the country of Romania is, home of the earliest European settlement by homo sapiens - and the beauty of the countryside, and the castles. After reading Alan Furst spy novels, I really would like to visit Romania, Hungary, Czech and Slovak republics and Poland. Very grim movie though - 2 hrs of tension, rape, abortion, throwing the fetus down a trash chute - as I waited for the movie to begin, I wondered if the audience (a very old crowd) knew what they were about to see.