Review of The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005) by Brandon S — 18 Jul 2010
I've been putting off watching this movie for almost 3 years now, but now that I finally did, I'm honestly amazed.
Some claim that the movie is a dramedy, but I just couldn't see any elements of comedy in it, no idea why some chose to see something that's not there.
The movie follows Mr. Lazarescu from around Bucharest in an ambulance trying to get treated, but gets moved from one hospital to another for some reason that pops at each hospital.
The style Cristi Puiu chose for this movie, launched the Romanian New Wave, which is one of the most important cinematic moves in the world at the moment that boosted Romanian cinema to a worldwide critical claim.
Even though the movie is painfully slow at times, I couldn't possibly see it realized any other way, it wouldn't be as deep and wouldn't have that same emotional curve on you as you view it moment after moment. I admit I got bored during the 1st half hour of the movie, but then the other 2 hours passed like a breeze as I was sucked into it.
This movie is a piece of art, and it's brilliant on so many levels, I might not be a fan of the artistic choices when it comes to cinematography and directing, but I still admire them and acknowledge their strength, because as much as this movie lacks cinematic beauty, it makes up for it with storytelling, and I'm looking forward to Cristi Puiu's new 3 hour+ film, Aurora.
This review of The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005) was written by Brandon S on 18 July 2010.
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
