Along with the much-lauded films 12:08 East of Bucharest and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, director Cristian Mungiu's drama about two young women seeking an abortion--illegal during the Ceausescu dictatorship--helped put Romania front and center as a source of magnificent world-class cinema. Gabita (Laura Vasiliu), a young college student, is pregnant and unsure of what to do when she decides to seek the assistance of her roommate Otilia (Anamaria Marinca). When it's apparent that Gabita is emotionally unable to take care of the details for herself, Otilia must risk her neck in obtaining the hotel room and hiring the diligent but frightening abortionist, while trying to keep from getting arrested in a society that thrives of black market business. Vasiliu and Marinca are fantastic as the leads and Vlad Ivanov is truly disturbing as the demanding abortionist. Long, unbroken takes by Oleg Mutu (who also co-produced) give the film a nail-biting tension that's almost unbearable to watch. Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. In Romanian with English subtitles.

Cristian Mungiu---Romania---2007---113 mins.