This group of directors under the age of 40 formed their outlook on life in the era of drastic changes in Eastern Europe. The lens of "Three Weeks and Two Days in April" is aimed at the end of the Ceausescu regime, and abortion is illegal. . That is to say, the action of abortion here is a metaphor for breaking the system, but after more than 20 years, it is only a warning. I think the director's intention is more to restore a different color at the end of the dark. The world, showing the humiliating living conditions of the people at the bottom of the society.
Back to the film itself, the most notable feature of the whole film is the long shot and hand-held photography. The director brought a strong and solemn atmosphere while focusing on restoring the sense of reality. For example, at the beginning, I followed Ottila out of the dormitory, entered the bathroom, bought cigarettes, and returned to the dormitory. The dark tones combined with the handheld photography gave people a rather uneasy feeling. In the scene where the three people discussed the conditions before the abortion, the camera completed a super-long shot in a fixed position. The audience understood the dialogue between the characters from a very objective point of view, without emphasizing feelings. The use of the camera lens is just a dialogue between three people in a cheap hotel, and the tension is expanded only by the actors' performance and lines. Sometimes the best lens is just not having a lens.
As a realistic film, the director has added some conspicuous supporting roles in it - the indifferent hotel receptionist, the free-spirited birthday guest, the sanctimonious doctor, these are the products of a deformed society. They are like invisible edges and corners in the viewfinder frame, which make the audience feel distressed. There are two noisy silences in the film. One is Ottila and her boyfriend sitting silently at the birthday dinner, and they are tightly pressed by the people next to them in the dimly lit area in the middle of the picture. Sitting at the dinner table after a day like this, silently waiting for the food to be served, there was a lively sound from the wedding banquet not far away. This is a very interesting detail. Some people are always in a disadvantaged position in this society. Even if they make a voice, it is not much different from silence. Is their voice not loud enough or someone else's voice is too loud? One of the significance of "Three Weeks and Two Days in April" is that even today, such a proposition can still be established, even if our social system has advanced, people's lives seem to be better, and the judicial system seems to be more sound, but the vulnerable groups are still Existence, they remain silent forever, no matter what era.
The end of the film is still a very long shot, Ottila gave the last cigarette to the female partner, and the two looked blankly at the seemingly endless place behind each other. With a sudden loud noise, the screen went black, and the whole film ended. Sometimes, the world we are in, our tiny life, is taken away by such a sudden sound.
View more about 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days reviews
