The Death of Mister Lazarescu

Moartea domnului Lãzãrescu

Internationally acclaimed as one of the best films of the past decade and hailed as "a comic masterpiece" (The Guardian), THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU has been compared favorably to the films of Frederick Wiseman.

One evening, Mr. Lazarescu, who lives alone, feels a bit dizzy. He finally ends up being driven away in an ambulance, which is the start of a tragicomic odyssey. Each doctor who examines him arrives at an entirely different diagnosis, and his emergency treatment is incessantly postponed. The physicians are deaf to the entreaties of the patient and his friends, and they are devoid of sympathy for the elderly Mr. Lazarescu as he again plunges into the Bucharest night.

Shuffled from pillar to post, Lazarescu becomes wearier and weaker in the face of the medical profession's bureaucracy and casual inefficiency. A succession of colourful characters permeates the film and the combination of dry humour and "scapel sharp" satire make this Cannes Film Festival award-winner one of the year's most deeply affecting films.

Winner! Un Certain Regard Award, Cannes Film Festival

"* * * * (4 out of 4 stars)! - RogerEbert.com

"A thorny masterpiece... the film seems so absolutely real it absorbs you into its world the same way a documentary like Frederick Wiseman's 1970 "Hospital" seeps into your consciousness.Like Mr. Wiseman's epic documentaries, THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU observes the relentless processing of human beings by impersonal social institutions." - New York Times

"A tour de force of cinema verite with astonishing performances by a huge cast of small players." - Washington Post