Death Of Mister Lazarescu, The

A black comedy with serious side effects

Internationally acclaimed as one of the best films of the past decade, THE DEATH OF MR LAZARESCU explores the dire consequences of an ailing medical system in Romania and the one man who bears the brunt of it all.

Mr. Lazarescu is a 63-year-old widower who drinks to excess on a regular basis affecting his health. Suffering from pains in his head and his stomach, he calls for an ambulance to take him to the local hospital. As the night wears on, Lazarescu is shuttled from pillar to post, growing ever wearier and weaker in the face of the medical profession’s bureaucracy and casual inefficiency. Thus begins a long, unpleasant journey from one hospital to another, as Lazarescu faces a backlog of patients caused by a massive traffic accident, and the cold indifference of arrogant doctors who appear hesitant to cure a man who has seemingly destroyed his own health.

With colourful and recognisable characters uttering wonderful turns of phrase, the fundamental seriousness of the film’s theme is judiciously leavened with a good deal of dry humour.

Voted by FILM COMENT as the best film of 2005 and winning numerous awards including the coveted Un Certain Regard in Cannes, THE DEATH OF MISTER LAZARESCU is a moving experience about the frailty of the human condition and how our very existence is dependent on others.