Emotional Rollercoaster

Otillia and Gabita are two college students living in communist Romania during the late 1980's, Gabita is pregnant and wants an abortion, but abortion is illegal under the oppressive regime of the dictator Ceausescu. Otillia helps Gabita by making the arrangements even though it is very dangerous and carries a heavy penalty for anyone involved. This movie is loaded with tension as Otillia tries to help her friend by dealing with surly front desk clerks so she can get the hotel room where Gabita will have the abortion performed and meeting up with the sleazy man who will perform it. There is a sense of fear throughout the movie because in this strict regime everyone is suspicious of each other and your just waiting for the moment when the girls get caught. It is also very realistic in the way that the director filmed it, it's different than the way most American movies are filmed, there are no plot summaries or explanations from the characters, you never find out about the father of Gabitas' baby or anything like that, your just seeing a very bad day in the life of these two women. The two actresses who play Otillia and Gabita are fantastic and the movie really is an emotional punch in the gut and can be hard to watch at times, but I highly recommend it.

10/10