The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
If someone walked up to you and said “Hey do you want to watch a two and a half hour Romanian film about the slow agonizing death of and old man?” I bet you’d probably decline the invitation. Well, I have to tell you that you ought to think about it first. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu may not be a laugh riot but it is a good film.
Dante Lazarescu (Ion Fiscuteanu) is a bit of a drunk and a recluse. After suffering with chronic stomach pain and a headache his neighbors assist him in getting an ambulance to take him to get medical attention. Unfortunately for him and the paramedic Mioara (Luminita Gheorghiu) there has been a tragic bus accident that same evening. Since he has no family, she can’t leave him until he is admitted into a hospital, but since none will take him Mioara reluctantly has to wheel a deteriorating Lazarescu in and out of emergency rooms where nothing seems to get accomplished due to arrogance, apathy, bureaucracy, or just an inability to handle the influx of patients.
One of my favorite things to see in a film is when actors are simply just not acting. I love a performance that is precisely the way people behave and that’s exactly what Ion Fiscuteanu and Luminita Gheorghiu do here. At no point in time do I feel like I’m watching someone pretend to be someone else. Instead it’s as though I’m a witness to the final hours of this man’s life. Much like in Soderbergh’s Bubble these types of performances just suck you in so that when tragedy strikes it strikes hard.
The real genius of this film is just how Cristi Puiu is able to capture the whole culture of health care. It seems that there are just inherent truths that carry no matter what country you’re from. Whether it be the frequent cigarette breaks or out of control egos, some things are universal. Puiu is able to create a whole multileveled world that Lazarescu and Mioara move in and out of that is so genuine you forget that you are watching a film.
Key to this has to be the camera work. It has sort of an unsentimental pseudo-documentary style that almost makes you feel like you’re watching the action through a window. There were times where I wanted to just jump in the film and help out. It’s tough to watch the events unfold as a viewer, because at some point you’re going to feel completely helpless.
Let’s face it, the majority of people out there aren’t going to want to see this. Not only is it long, but it has subtitles and I hate to give anything away but the ending is a bit of a downer. Then again, if you see the title The Death of Mr. Lazarescu and are surprised by the ending you probably were shocked by the ending of The Break Up.
The Grade
- Story: A
- Acting: A
- Visuals: B+
- Originality: B+
- Enjoyability: B
- Overall: A-
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