Listings for Friday, May 9, through Thursday, May 15, 2008

4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days

Capsule by Jonathan Rosenbaum

From the Chicago Reader

Winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes, Cristian Mungiu's masterful chronicle of two young women negotiating for an illegal abortion in 1987 Romania over a 24-hour period, near the end of Ceausescu's communist regime, is impressive above all for the way it respects the audience, expecting them to follow the implications of its multifaceted tale without always spelling them out. (When one of the women has to prostitute herself with the abortionist before he'll agree to proceed, and pointedly keeps this fact from her boyfriend, we can already see their relationship foundering as a consequence.) Filmed in 'Scope, largely in long takes, this is moving and gripping throughout. In Romanian with subtitles. 113 min. Film scholar Reid Schultz will lead a discussion after each screening.

This movie is currently playing at: Sat 5/10, 2 and 7:30 PM, Northbrook Public Library, 1201 Cedar, Northbrook, 847-272-6224

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