Peter Bradshaw remarked on the sharpness of Otilia and the apparent naiveté of Găbița, but considered this is how their crisis could have affected them, and praised the film as "a masterpiece of intimate desperation". In "Empire", Damon Wise gave it five stars, positively reviewing the cinematography, colour scheme, and the depiction of the black-market terror created when something is outlawed. "The Independent"s Jonathan Romney named it a "masterpiece", acknowledging the description "Romanian abortion drama" would be off-putting for some viewers but defending it as "harrowing". Writing for "Le Monde", Thomas Sotinel called the film excellent and cited Marinca for an intense performance. Jean-Baptiste Morain of "Les Inrockuptibles" remarked on the film's powerful emotions, and credited Mungiu with managing to do much with little.