A panel of critics at the Cannes Film Festival in France awarded the coveted Palm d'Or award to a dark film that follows a woman who is trying to obtain an illegal abortion in communist Romania.
4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days is named after the age of the baby when it is aborted.
At another film festival, this one in Toronto, a film also dealing with abortion recently won the top award. But that film — Bella — focuses on life and pro-family themes.
Bella opens this fall.
Producer Leo Severino told CitizenLink there is no comparison between the two.
"From what I hear, it's very dark and morbid," he said about 4 Months. "It's very telling that the Palm d'Or is given by the critics."
In Toronto, the people honored Bella with the People's Choice Award.
"It shows the great divide between Americana, the average citizen of the U.S., and what they believe, as opposed to this elite group of critics who love darkness," Severino said. "They want to see the worst of the human condition. I think people want to see the best of the human condition."
He said it's telling that both films deal with abortion.
"It's a sign of the times. The issue is coming to the forefront on both sides of the issue."
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit the Bella Web site.
(NOTE: Referral to Web sites not produced by Focus on the Family is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of the sites' content.)
