In 2007, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days was the winner of the PALME D’OR at the Cannes Film Festival. Director Cristian Mungiu brought the audience a dark and audacious drama that takes place in Romania in 1987. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days is a heavy film and may not be for everyone based on its focus on illegal abortion. The individual’s choices at that time are life-threatening and carry irreparable consequences. The conversations regarding those choices make 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days emotionally intense. The tensions of the people involved with the abortion plan are staggering.

The plot focuses on college roommates, Gabita (played by Laura Vasliu) and Otilia (played by Anamaria Marinca). Gabita is close to five months pregnant and Otilia is the one that helps her set up an illegal abortion. Since the movie is set in 1987, the technology to make advanced arrangements is not available which makes the process of getting this illegal task completed especially complex for Gabita and Otilia. They hire a man named Bebe (played by Vlad Ivanov) and who is an abortionist. However, he has a sinister side that makes the illegal situation more tense and uncomfortable for the two roommates. Given all three of them are involved in an illegal activity in Romania, they are all at risk for legal troubles. Bebe wants to ensure that the arrangements are perfect, but since Gabita and Otilia are still being in college, the procedure is more risky and expensive than what they had expected.

The plot involving abortion is what makes 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days an emotional rollercoaster ride of tension. The title hints at this as well because it alludes to the time frame of the pregnancy. It is an excellent film, but also sad.  If, during the procedure something goes awry or an ambulance is called, the characters risk going to jail. The anxiety that builds worrying if things might get out of hand makes 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days emotionally enticing.

Overall, I enjoyed this movie, but I will only watch it once. The concept is depressing, but the film is faithful to what people would have to do in this situation and the mental anguish those choices would create.  However, it also makes people think about alternative options or safe resources they could turn to. Fortunately, many things have changed for the better since 1987 including technology and abortion laws.  I give this movie three stars.

Audiences may perceive that First Cow is going to be a quiet and dull experience based on how mellow it is in the beginning. However, it is a brilliant film due to the screenplay and cinematography, and that is why First Cow deeply captivated me.  The director, Kelly Reichardt, had an interest in photography since childhood, and her fascination was fueled by having a father who did photography for crime scenes. Reichardt’s experience in photography has led her to make films with vast scenery, and First Cow’s scenery is magnificent. The photography in the forests and the mountains left me visually dazzled.

The plot of First Cow takes place in the 1820s in a forested territory in Oregon. The film introduces us to Cookie (played by John Magaro) who is a loner and a cook. He is seeking to find someone to start a business with involving food and cooking in a timeframe of no technological advancement. As he navigates his travels, he joins fur trappers. The fur trappers do not express much interest in his cooking or creating food for business. That is until he meets a Chinese Immigrant, King-Lu (played by Orion Lee). Cookie’s wishes come true when he finds assistance in King-Lu who has an affiliated past as an entrepreneur. With King-Lu’s strong sense of the hard work needed to establish a successful business, the two team up to build a business milking cows.  Together they find business connections in the uncharted territory of Portland, Oregon, and First Cow turns into an astounding and inviting journey that will touch many.

The film’s focus on milking cows looks so accurate in terms of how the process of making foods would have been back in the day. The cinematography that is used the film is realistic, where viewers will feel taken back to a time when there weren’t any forms of technological advancement for business.  No phones, no computers, no networking tools, and everything had to be done on foot and through in-person networking. The film’s sense of urgency to succeed in business is amplified through dialogue demonstrating trial and error which will make viewers appreciate the past. The main characters do not get distracted, but are always on foot trying to find what is right, and they can only do that via face-to-face interactions.

The business side of this movie spoke to me. I felt that the roaming of uncharted territories showed how being a landowner and having the option to share or not, was what truly made businessmen or landowners have power. Cookie and King-Lu have some power, but they are not confrontational or egotistical. They are restrained and patient, because given that they have limited resources, confrontation is the last problem they want to have. I found that is what also drove the film to be inspiring, because although they are striving for success, they do not want to hit plateaus. First Cow is about two men trying to develop a new idea for everyone, but with spiritual meaning.

Based on the spiritual value, deep connections, and cinematography, I give First Cow four stars. To watch this film during the hard time the world is going through now, made me appreciate life more. It made me realize that I need to be more thankful for the resources the planet gives us to create and rejuvenate. Today, we continue to use so many products from milking cows, and it is still a growing business. First Cow is a faithful film to how that era started.

Beats is a ride of mischievous behavior combined with friendship. Directed by Brian Welsh, and executive producing done by Steven Soderbergh, Beats includes many risky scenarios that are intriguing, haunting, and inviting. The time period is set in the early 1990s and the film is blended with black and white cinematography. The setting and the cinematography add to the entertainment. The question is, “Could the two main characters have wild fun without serious consequences?”

The film gears on two best friends in Scotland. They are Johnno (played by Cristian Ortega) and Spanner (played by Lorn Macdonald). Both have issues at home that they feel they cannot overcome making their lives miserable. Johnno lives with his abusive and criminal brother, and Spanner is about to move to a new town with his family and his mom’s significant other (who he does not feel close to). Due to the sorrow caused by the fact that Johnno and Spanner are going to be separated from each other, they make a risky decision to party one last time together. They choose to go to an illegal rave part where they run into a mix of destruction, freedom, and legalities that they will always remember.

Given the outcomes of their decisions and associated consequences, their friendship, Johnno and Spanner does not change. What grasped my attention was that the two friends keep making risky decisions, but they view those decisions as a way of making positive memories of their friendship as opposed to focusing on the irreparable consequences. When they make one bad decision, they just make another one, and they find it entertaining. These risky behaviors made Beats engrossing, because I found myself curious wondering who was going to suffer the worst consequences. The outcomes provide much anticipation and interest for viewers.

The film’s timeframe added to the risky decisions, since the main technology they had for fun in the 1990s was radios and TV.  There was no streaming or fancy smart phone technologies which people now use daily for life, work and fun. Beats shows how boredom could have stirred up dangerous times for enjoyment in the 1990s.  Many events like parties and raves were much more exclusive due to limited ways of promoting them. That is why the illegal party becomes a special opportunity for Johnno and Spanner. From their vantage point, it was a chance to have the time of their lives and put their problems behind them for a change.

This was a film that was a different experience on many levels. It was like a young version of Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting (1996) blended with black and white. I felt like I was watching a younger generation of two European misfits trying to boost their confidence and live life to the fullest. Beats is a summer fun ride and I give it four stars.