The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Moartea domnului Lazarescu)

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Moartea domnului Lazarescu) (2005)

  • 93% of critics liked it
    (74 reviews)

  • 79% of users liked it
    (4,529 ratings)

Mr. Lazarescu (Ion Fiscuteanu) is not feeling well. He has a bad headache and has been vomiting. He feels that it is something more serious than the pain caused by his ulcer and the hangovers caused by his regular excessive drinking. He calls for an ambulance, and after convincing the skeptical… More

R,
Directed By
Written By
Cristi Puiu, Razvan Radulescu
Genres
Drama, Art House & International, Comedy
In Theaters
Apr 26, 2006 Limited
Tartan Films

Critic Reviews

  • Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

    Both sad and darkly funny, the film is so sharply conceived and richly populated that it often registers like a Frederick Wiseman documentary, even though everything is scripted and every part played by a professional.

  • Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

    There's something about Fiscuteanu's quietly desperate performance (with much of the emotion conveyed through his eyes), that gets under your skin.

  • Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

    As commentary, it's grim. As filmmaking, it's a powerfully disturbing odyssey through the Bucharest health care system.

  • Philip Kennicott, Washington Post

    A tour de force of cinema verite with astonishing performances by a huge cast of small players.

  • Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle

    The movie is a stunner, so hypnotic that the length hardly matters.

Read all 18 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Stefanie C


    this is a good film, but the humor is so dark that you won't find yourself laughing. the cinema verite styling works well with the content, adding to the existential questions raised within the film. if you can't bear hospitals and imminent death, do not attempt to watch… More

  • Walter M


    [font=Century Gothic]"The Death of Mr. Lazarescu" is about Dante Remus Lazarescu(Ion Fiscuteanu), a 62-year old retired widower, who lives in an apartment with his three cats. One Saturday he has a severe headache while vomiting blood. At night, he calls for an ambulance… More

  • Marion R


    This film was hard to get through. It was so depressing, I had to watch it in two parts. How any one could call this a comedy is beyond me. Perhaps it is because I have had to deal with the horrible medical insurance in the States. I could Identify with being turned away from… More

  • MJS M


    I always wanted to see this film, which is said to have kicked off the ?Romanian New Wave? but I?ve got to say, this was a real challenge to get through. This is one of those movie?s whose overall goal was to actively unpleasant for 153 minutes, and I basically watched it in three… More

  • FanGirl B


    The subtitles are nearly impossible to read. Unless you're really interested in the pitfalls and failures of the health system of whatever country this film is from, you want to skip this film I found it boering and pointless.

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Cast

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