Gabita and Otilia are college roommates at the tail end of the
repressive Ceausescu regime in Communist Romania. Shy Gabita
gets pregnant; no-nonsense Otilia sets about procuring an abortion from
the black market, pretty much the same way she rustles up Kent
cigarettes and orange Tic Tacs. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2
Days, which was unjustly denied an Academy Award nomination for
best foreign-language film, is grueling and unsentimental. The
excellent acting is what keeps it humane. (See Movie Times for
details.)

Annie Wagner is The Stranger's former film editor. She was born and raised in Capitol Hill, but has since lived in such far-flung locales as Phoenix, AZ, Charlottesville, VA, and Wedgwood. After graduating...