johhhnnny

I feel special in a nice way that more off-beat movies are coming out of India and as I read somewhere probably with more universal and crossover appeal. Bringing awareness as well as entertaining people and still being commercially viable isn't an easy thing to achieve, and I sincerely hope the movie does that and also provide a positive precedent for other movie makers with creative energy to follow suit. The intent is not to change the world, but to create a potential thought that can bring awareness towards different issues. We have seen people change their course of lives seeing pressing things around and I believe movies too have a significant role to play.

Regarding the content of the movie, I found it very lucid, with no compulsion of over doing anything (acting, cinematography, music, screenplay) which makes it all the more endearing.

I have a fascination for foreign movies. Didn't have any expectation high or low when I read the synopsis of the movie but thats just to have a neutral mindset before the movie. What I like most about the movie is the reality that comes out of the situation the characters are put into. The way Gabriela undergoes the ordeal of abortion and how she tries to act in a certain way, when she didn't tell all the truth even to her friend and the supposedly so doctor is very natural. I can only try to understand what a traumatizing experience it can be if someone were to find out and that necessitates the need to hush up in every possible way, even forgetting that it leaves you more prone to mistakes and lets you even more suspected. She looks so unbelievably vulnerable and real. On the other hand the character Otilia as a trusting friend is very strong, the one who would stand by you in situations like these. The way the events unfold and the choice of locations and timings (night scenes) and the way the cinematography is done, adds to the urgency and gloominess of the situation. The acting was superb and comes out at all points but noticeably during the dinner table setting at their parents house when you have Otilia's near expressionless face depicting how preoccupied and out of place she must be feeling at that time when everyone else is happy and talking themselves out. Quite naturally it also shows how she had her share of nervousness when she goes out to dispose the fetus when she is extra cautious about the slightest movement around and even suspecting a by goner as a threat. I think it's a brilliant piece of realism about this situation from that era in Romania. I would really look forward to more movies from the director.

I was given a recommendation by a friend to watch this movie. It was playing at the local Angelika, which I always like going to. I have seen quite a few foreign movies in that theatre and love it for the quality of movies they show almost always and undoubtedly this stands out for its impact it had on me. Its the level at which the movie is able to connect to you. Very deep, intense, thoughtful piece of art and spiritual at the same time and thats what makes it so different. I read it in one of the fact-o-files about the movie that the songs in the movie were intended to replace the need for lengthy dialogues. The feeling and the spirit and the positioning of the songs is able to do not just right, it takes it to a sublime level. Actually the movie lets you loose and at a certain time you feel convinced that for whatever reasons this movie is at a different plane and the set rules can very politely be ignored for making a comparison. I believe this is about the heart poured out and if you see this angle you will be able to leave aside all the critical nuances which one is quite often obliged to weigh a movie on. The songs are like meditation, raising the soul and you seem to get lost in them and I have listened to them every now and then and the impact keeps on growing. Definitely enjoyable and not just an ordinary musical. Not to be misunderstood as a chick flick.