Anamaria Marinca: Romania is the film world's next red-hot spot for talent—and she's about to bring it to a boil

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It is an unlikely success story: A dark little Romanian drama goes on to win international awards and acclaim. The film 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, from writer-director Cristian Mungiu, is just that, and its whirlwind success--which has included being awarded the Palme d'Or at last year's Cannes Film Festival--has been fueled in no small part by the powerhouse performance of 29-year-old Anamaria Marinca.

In 4 Months, Marinca's character, Otilia, scrambles to help a friend get an illegal abortion. Focusing not on the actual pregnancy, but rather on the desperate work of what should be a secondary character, is just one of the film's many surprises.

Director Mungiu has spoken about 4 Months as an allegory for his own experience coming of age in Romania during the communist era. For Marinca, making the film had a similar resonance. "It helped me to understand Romania better--where we are now," she says. "You can't help asking yourself, 'What if I were 10 years older?' It could have been me."

Mark Olsen is a Los Angeles-based writer.

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