4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days is a Romanian film on back-alley abortion and daily despair in the communist era which won the Cannes film festival’s top award, the Palme d’Or earlier this week.

Of course. It’s a formula for success. Make a movie about abortion and critics will throw awards and adjectives like “brave” and “independent” at it. See “Cider House Rules” for an example. Hardly a great movie, the critics thrilled and waxed poetic about a young doctor’s journey from pro life to abortionist. Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Music, Original Score, and Best picture nominations followed. At the academy awards ceremony, John Irving who was given the award for Best Adapted Screenplay thanked “Planned Parenthood and NARAL for their support”. After that, they were willing to make up awards to throw at the movie. Michael Caine even won for best Supporting Actor. I mean…Michael Caine!

“Vera Drake” was a recent mediocre film about a saintly and humble woman devoted to her family who looked after her husband and children, her elderly mother, and a sick neighbor. Vera worked days as a saintly and humble house cleaner while moonlighting as a saintly and humble back alley abortionist. Golden Globes and Oscars nominations were heaped on the film including Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.

If These Walls Could Talk was made for cable television which garnered nominations from everyone and for everyone including Golden Globe nods for Demi Moore and Cher down to praise for the grips and caterers. Demi Moore and Cher!

4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days is now running down that same “brave and independent” path.

I must give some credit to 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days in that the title of the film depicts the age of the child at the time of the abortion. Hey, remember the baby! The director did another interesting thing. He put the fetus on screen to serve as a horrifying reminder to audiences. “It makes a point — people should be aware of the consequences of their decisions,” said Director Cristian Mungiu.

Good point but so far the consequence is that if you have an abortion onscreen you win awards.