This film is about a student in 1980s communist Romania who arranges an illegal abortion with tragic consequences. Despite being described by Care as 'pro-abortion', they recommend it as it "shows the gravity of this procedure". It received a staggering 97% at RottenTomatoes, with reviewers saying:
- "This is one of the year's very best movies, provided you don't mind a sort of horrible depression hangover that keeps the film in your thoughts long after you've left the theatre."
- "At times unbearably tense, this harrowing drama deservedly won the Palme D'Or at Cannes, thanks to superb direction, a gripping, suspenseful script and a terrific central performance from Anamaria Marinca."
- "An unquestionably overpowering experience that nonetheless left this reviewer with a nagging sense of unease."
- "Devastating."
- "A harrowing tale of the grim lengths to which two young women will go to end an unwelcome pregnancy in a totalitarian society that is indifferent to their fate unless it involves punishing them."
- "Embodies the humanistic perspective… that simply to relate the story of a significant human event, to tell the truth without gloss or commentary, has value in itself."
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