Much of Otilia's courage and her roommate Gabita's cowardice stemmed from their circumstances. Gabita decided to have an abortion, but she lied about the time of her pregnancy, turning four months into two months; lied about her relationship with Otilia, calling her roommate a sister; and even hesitated at the last minute to be reluctant Go see the man who helped her out in person. The accuracy of this story lies precisely in Gabita's series of lies and hesitation, because she faces the consequences of "my own mistakes", of hurting herself, murdering and trapping her friends in crime.
And Otilia, she even made a physical sacrifice for Gabita's stupidity caused by fear. Her sympathy and bravery come from a growing understanding of her situation. In the small environment, they are caught in the vortex of miscarriage; in the large environment, they will continue to be entangled with "sex". Otilia's boyfriend couldn't answer her questions. All he could say was, "Shut up," "The most important thing is not to get pregnant," and, "I'll take care of it." Otilia knew he was beyond reproach.
As a final note, it's certainly easy to attribute the film to "exposing the general livelihood on the eve of the fall of communism in Romania": bribery, perfunctory, class discrimination and secret solidarity (the human tenderness that foreshadowed the bloody uprising that followed)— This is the main theme of the film in the western film critic world. This is actually no smarter than simply discussing whether abortion is legal or not. If a film aimed at criticizing the communist dictatorship finally satisfies another ideology, it is ironic and hurtful to the film itself. If one wants to gain more from a Palme d'Or than a critic or even a director's elaboration, one must appeal to one's own social reality and heart. The first two don't know your situation better than you do yourself.
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