...one of the best, most intriguing movies of the year. This is the kind of film that transcends borders and can talk to people worldwide.
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07/29/06
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2006)
93
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:73
Fresh:68
Rotten:5
Average Rating:8/10
Consensus: Shot in naturalistic style, this is a powerful indictment of absurdity and indifference in the face of human suffering.
Theatrical Release:14-07-2006
Synopsis: Shot in Romania, THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU follows the title character as he waits for attention in a rundown hospital emergency ward. Fans of Lars Von Trier's THE KINGDOM should find much to love... [More]
Reviews for The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
There's something about Fiscuteanu's quietly desperate performance (with much of the emotion conveyed through his eyes), that gets under your skin.
07/28/06
As commentary, it's grim. As filmmaking, it's a powerfully disturbing odyssey through the Bucharest health care system.
07/28/06
Puiu is playful with his symbolism, as evidenced by his titular character's triple-loaded name, but his really astounding achievement is how he transforms commonplace scenes with shimmering alternate meaning.
07/22/06
"Extraordinary" is used here in both meanings of the word: highly unusual and exceptional.
07/15/06
As a story of the callous impersonalization we inflict upon one another, the film is timeless.
07/15/06
A tour de force of cinema verite with astonishing performances by a huge cast of small players.
07/13/06
This two-and-half-hour Romanian drama may sound like a trial, but it's oddly, warmly captivating.
07/08/06
The movie is a stunner, so hypnotic that the length hardly matters.
06/30/06
[The] uniquely Eastern European brand of absurdity recalls the work of Vaclav Havel, playwright and former President of Czechoslovakia. At least, it would be absurd if it weren't so credible.
06/30/06
As both a film and an indictment of health-care practices, it's scathing and effective.
06/23/06
By recording this all too commonplace and dehumanizing process, Puiu's film shows the sick old man and the strangers who deal with him to be all too human -- extraordinarily so.
06/16/06
The film seems pitiless as it records every detail but, as you watch a man who clings to life and an ambulance driver whose search for a hospital becomes a mythic quest, what you're left with is compassion.
06/15/06
Puiu maintains a strong current of suspense about the outcome -- despite the title, will this Lazarus be revived? --- and a bracingly cynical sense of humor that rescues the material from being a total downer.
06/15/06
Cristi Puiu doesn't pull his punches in his barbed black comedy on the state of socialized medicine in Hungary.
06/04/06
If you love adventurous cinema, [Cristi] Puiu's transcendent, unique foray into the culture of health care is a must-see.
06/03/06
I was struck with the thought that I was actually witnessing real people in a real situation instead of actors, that's how well the people in this movie performed.
05/23/06
This is not an easy film to watch, nor is it one to enthusiastically recommend to your friends. However, it will leave its mark on you.
05/23/06
I suspect medical professionals would see much they recognize in this movie. The credits include a long list of technical advisers, but it doesn't take an adviser to convince you the movie is authentic.
05/12/06
Top CriticIt takes a while to adjust to its rhythm, but the Romanian film The Death of Mr. Lazarescu is a rich, strange and weirdly gratifying odyssey.
05/11/06
Latest News for The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
October 05, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Departed" Is Best Reviewed Wide Release of 2006
This week at the movies, we've got cops and robbers in Boston ("The Departed," starring Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Matt Damon), chainsaw massacres in Texas... More...
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