09 · 09 · 07

Cristian Mungiu Converses with the Press at the V FICM

Clara Sánchez /Translated by Mario Murgia

[imagen] Mungiu, winner of the Golden Palm for his film 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, held a press conference at the opening of the 5th edition of the Morelia International Film Festival. He said he is concerned about his film being considered a political statement either for or against abortion rather than a filmic work.
“I’m not in favor of abortion being penalized, but I do think it’s sometimes being used as a contraceptive method. I believe women should be free to decide, but they should also be aware of all the consequences.”
The film deals with the issue of abortion in the early 80’s, when it was penalized by Ceaucescu’s Communist regime. The main characters are two young students, Otilia and Gabita, who must face the difficulties of their decision in a hostile and punitive society.
Mungiu, whose first film, West, received a special mention at the 2002 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, was questioned about the importance of having been awarded the Golden palm at Cannes. The director said, “This is a film I made on a tight budget. I’m surprised it’s being shown in 60 countries –it’s a local story. In my country, the people welcomed me as though I had won the Golden Cup. My president gave me a medal, but he hasn’t seen the movie –he’s not even interested. To my country, this award meant more than what’s been done in terms of foreign policy. I’m very pleased I now have the means to shoot my next film.”

As for the Form…
Mungiu said that one of the things he finds most interesting about the critics is their interest in the way it was made. “It’s set in the 80’s for two main reasons –it’s a true story from that time, and the circumstances in my country were very different before and after 1989, when Communism fell. I tried to portray the sense of humiliation that prevailed in our society. Abortion became a way of fighting rather than a moral issue.”
About the photography, he said he refrained from watching films for two years in order not to be influenced, “Or at least not consciously. I intended to do a visual translation of the story I wanted to put forward. I developed a taste for plain, plastic photography. I avoided long shots and angles in order to emphasize emotional issues.”
About the lack of music in the film he said he “avoided this formal device in order to strengthen long sequences, where emotion comes without the need of external means.”
As for the use of non-professional actors, the director said that even though there are several ways of resolving a story, “My scripts are very detailed even in terms of the dialogs –I needed the actors to carefully memorize every word. Actors were essential for this film, because nobody else would have memorized the words in the script.”

[imagen]The Contents…
Murgiu was asked a question about the reasons why there are no sex scenes in the film, even though a fetus is explicitly presented. “It’s part of the story. Without that, the remaining 30 minutes of the film wouldn’t have made any sense. It was vital in order to understand Otilia’s state of mind. In the story I heard and on which the film is based, it was the part that the main actress found most shocking.”
Mungiu, who has worked with celebrities like Bertrand Tavernier, said that his work is not aimed at portraying a particularly feminine or masculine sensitivity. “When I’m working I don’t think about men or women, I relate to the topic, which, in this case, is inspired by women. I feel great compassion for them. It’s a situation I can relate to.”
Finally, Mungiu explained that the only way of making significant films that can compete with intern