16 Feb 11
Director: Christian Mungiu
Romania
2008
113 min
Mungiu’s excruciatingly intense drama is set in Bucharest, in 1987, a time when abortion was outlawed. A young college student, Gabita, finds herself pregnant and in big trouble. Unsure of what to do, she turns to her roommate, Otilia, for help. The women meet Mr Bebe, a black market doctor and the following 24 hours reveal a harrowing descent into a bleak world in which the possibility of tragedy lurks around every corner. Masterful direction and outstanding cinematography build the tension to nearly unbearable proportions in this grim depiction of back street life in Eastern Europe.
Winner Palme d’Or – Cannes.