A young woman is about to get an abortion. On the morning of the crucial day, what's on her mind and how does she deal with it?
In the relentlessly forthright "4 Months, 3 Weeks 2 Days," the young woman, Gabita (Laura Vasiliu), spends the time waxing her legs in her college dorm, a dreary gray box in an institutional building somewhere in suburban Romania. At first it's unclear what's going on — Gabita talks to her roommate Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) as if the day were like any other; freezing and dreary, the early morning hours are contaminated by complaints and disappointment ("I'm out of cigarettes," "The hot water doesn't work," "The thermostat's broken").
Gradually it becomes clear that Gabita is about to undergo a secret and gruesome operation, and that Otilia has apparently offered to provide support. Neither of the women mention the father — apparently he's not even an issue. Gabita is lethargic and taciturn, making her friend do the work of securing a room at a hotel, rendezvousing with an abortionist whose name was recommended by a classmate, and negotiating the price. The logistics of an illegal abortion are lingered upon with stark, matter-of-fact accuracy, the details meticulously drawn. And nothing alleviates the harshness and drudge-laden sequence of events — the world of "4 Months" is deadlocked in despair.