This all takes a very, very long time and the message seems to be don't get seriously sick in Bucharest. Inspired by an actual 1997 incident

A remarkable, brutal, heartbreaking film. Incredibly naturalistic and genuine performances by the actors; especially Luminita Gheorghiu, who plays the sympathetic, weary paramedic who tends to Mr Lazarescu. In fact, all of the characters are sympathetic to some extent, even the asshole doctors who do their job in spite of the bureaucracy and lack of resources. I also liked the simplicity of the camera-work, which I thought added intimacy to the film and made the situation feel very real.

"The Death of Mr. Lazarescu comes on like a force of nature; radiating a startling intensity, it demands to be reckoned with." - Ed Gonzalez

Depresso time.

Ever wanted to watch a man inch his way towards death? Here's your chance. It's not as harrowing as you might think because there's a sense of inevitability in the air and frustrations are muted by the understanding that, no matter how bad some decisions are throughout the film, they're all human reactions and have some reasoning behind them. That doesn't mean it's easy to take, and towards the end I did just want it to be over, but it was a productive and insightful experience.

922

This has much in common with the later Romanian movie "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days", but Lazarescu is nowhere near as good. It's effectively involving and very well meant, even gutsy. But in its effort to show how bad the health situation in Romania is, it often goes over the top for a realist film with portrayals of uncaring, insensitive, sometimes outrageously obtuse doctors and hospital workers. Also, the all-natural lighting and overly shaky handcam add nothing to this particular film.

aka The slow death of mr L.

Damn this was really boring. Hilarious how it was promoted as a comedy though.

Frustrating, infuriating, brutal, seeming almost real and being deadly scary. What if you find yourself in a situation where you could well die and the well of human kindness is not deep enough, or the madness of bureaucracy is too deep, for you to be saved? In making a film that addresses a problem in Romania Cristi Puiu has also made a film that addresses a problem deeply rooted in who we are and the world around all of us, and it is a deeply felt achievement.

Minutely observed piece of gritty realism, trascends its denounce and politics and strikes a universal scope.

#850

Terrific naturalistic, all too human performances all round. I felt for this old man slipping away while the cogs of bureaucracy ground creakily around. Long but gripping throughout, it's only failure for me is that I did not pick up much of the black humour.

Nie tylko my mamy chora sluzbe zdrowia.

Very well done diagnosis of a society and its health system. It is far from a comedy.

Tedious and depressing. It has plenty of merits as a piece of film making and I feel unsympathetic giving it such a low score but it didn't entertain.

Really, really good. Brutal to watch.

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu is perhaps the best film this year that I never want the displeasure of sitting through again. [Full Review]

Staunch realism with plenty of underlying themes. It doesn't always hold attention, but is a competent and unique film experience. Intense on sense.

Chilling and moving. I detected a Kieslowski vibe, in part because of the Eastern European locale (and a slight thematic similarity to Kieslowski's own Szpital) but also because the characters are so genuine and multi-faceted. The verité camera style combined with truly amazing acting gives the film an unshakeable documentary feel, and the inevitable loss of Lazarescu hits home as something quite real. Very well done and, except for a bit of a slow start, quite engaging.

Feels very real, but maybe a bit biased against hospital staff who are all shown as assholes.

Excellent film.