The surprise success of The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, which did much to put Romanian cinema on the world stage, looks set to be reproduced by Cristian Mungiu's Competition entry 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days which Variety's Jay Weissberg calls: "Pitch perfect and brilliantly acted... a stunning achievement, helmed with a purity and honesty that captures not just the illegal abortion story at its core but the constant, unremarked negotiations necessary for survival in the final days of the Soviet bloc. Showcasing all the elements of new Romanian cinema -- long takes, controlled camera and an astonishing ear for natural dialogue -- Mungiu's masterly film plays only one false note in an otherwise beautifully textured story. Further proof of Romania's new prominence in the film world, pic will attract discerning auds in Stateside and Euro arthouses."
Equally enamoured was Screen International's Dan Fainaru who called it: "A deceptively simple tale carrying a tremendous wallop. The market may not be bowled over at first sight — after all, critics were more than a little circumspect after first seeing Cristi Puiu's The Death Of Mr Lazarescu, which shares much of Mungiu's vision of the world — but in due course this will easily beat most other, far more pretentious, arthouse products being peddled around. The film should give Mungiu and his cast a better than average shot at a reward with this year's jury."
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