shaheercholassery
The Death Of Mr. Lazarescu a film by Cristi Puiu is filled with black humor.Though it's a Romanian movie , it's theme satirically opens the mindset of current societies all over the world.It's a very disturbing movie.This film gave me experience some what similar to have a thorn inside my flesh which is difficult to remove.This movie gives a unique experience for those who like this genre.The lead role and paramedic are played out well by the actors.Lazarescu who is in his dying moments being shifted to various hospitals.But none of them addressed paramedic's concerns about the condition of Lazarescu. They constantly refused to admit him .This movie shows us the degraded scenario of medical systems.Some of the scenes and conversations seem unbearable as they irritates our conscience , but that's the specialty of this movie.It depicts reality as such.Some humorous moments in this movie are so dark that it will make you think and realize how cruel we are.In one scene doctor makes a remark about Lazarescu , "We can fix his hemorrhage so that the cancer could kill him" with a tinge of smile.These are moments where humor changes it's color and takes stand in the darker side.This movie shows the materialistic and pragmatic mindsets of current society which is reality to be afraid off .Lack of humanity and lack of concern for others are common behaviors now.Parameters of goodness and badness , social values are now things for archeology.This movie constantly reminds us that " reality is not stranger than we suppose, it is stranger than we can suppose". Technology has made us machines and globalization moulded us as clones .We need to fill this world with the colors of humanity. that's what this movie whispers.my rating is 8 out of 10
doug_park2001
Lonely, retired Mr. Lazarescu becomes ill one night. His neighbors call an ambulance, and he's taken on a bizarre tour of Bucharest's hospitals, each of which shuffles him over to the next.I can understand the negative reviews here. By necessity, THE DEATH of MR. LAZARESCU is bleak, repetitive, and confined in settings. I can also understand its being a labeled a comedy, though it's one of the very darkest sort. While definitely not for those who want fast action, sophisticated effects, and/or just something really fun and uplifting, the acting is so natural and the cinematography so plainly real that DML becomes one of those films that will completely immerse a willing audience.As a satire of medical care for the poor, aged, and unconnected, there's nothing more effective. Using simple narrative, it shows what so many recent documentaries have merely tried to show. While set in a small Eastern European nation, it's likely to strike a chord just about anywhere. Though non-Romanian audiences may have to do some quick look-ups and online translations, there is clever symbolism--more subtle but just as apt as the name of the protagonist--in the names of the doctors, nurses, and facilities.
alokparanjape
I thought the film, above all was a brilliantly crafted, perfectly paced film. Its narrative was so well developed that the film, like life, lent itself to a lot of interpretation. What I found most intriguing was the power dynamics in the whole medial system and then by extension in the society. The colourful old man with his cats in his apartment is the king to start off with. He has supreme authority, he's the owner of the house. He enjoys freedom to drink, to live the way he wants, and he's not about to entertain anybody's objections to the way he lives his own life. The moment he requires someone else's help, he loses his authority. The neighbour who's better than him is now in control. then the nurse, then the doctors, then the doctors, then the doctors. every time as one person loses his authority, Mr. lasarescue becomes more and more insignificant. because he becomes more and more dependent. By the end of it, he becomes so insignificant, that when he's lying limp on the stretcher, stripped naked, the camera holds him for a moment, and then, it does not even matter whether he's dead or alive. The entire process, his entire journey in the film is a constantly gradual degradation of his independence, his freedom and his dignity as a person, as a human being. This entire journey is the death of his personality, his significance. This is The Death of Mr. Lasarescue.Can't wait to see more from this director!
trixie650203
I just saw this one yesterday evening on TV and I am still under its influence. I also read some of the comments and it is obvious that you guys in the West do not have the slightest clue as to what it is like in the post-communist countries despite 18-19 years of "freedom". The film has personally struck me because hospitals are pretty much the same in Hungary and so are the members of staff. Cynical doctors, exhausted nurses, underpaid assistants all around waiting for your money to be slipped in their pockets in the prerequisite envelope. I escorted both my father (Mr. Lazarescu even resembled him) and my mother in many hospitals here in Budapest, Hungary and had exactly the same impressions here. Of course, this is not a piece of entertainment in the strictest sense but I have never seen such a hyperrealistic film before. I could totally identify myself with the characters and the environment seemed so sadly familiar. I cannot but give it a straight 10 out of 10.