Film recommendation: The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu (2005)
Image credit: “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu”, directed by Cristi Puiu, produced by Alexandru Munteanu, 2005
Written by: Boglárka Angéla Farkas
Cristi Puiu’s second feature film, The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu (Moartea domnului Lăzărescu, 2005) holds a prominent position in contemporary Romanian film history, as it is considered to be the film which put Romanian New Wave cinema on the map by winning the Un Certain Regard award at Cannes Film Festival in 2006. Through its “case study” candidate – the 62-year-old Mr. Lăzărescu (Ioan Fiscuteanu) – Puiu’s film reflects on the societal realities that outline postcommunist Romania, marked by unreliable medical care, emigration, endemic alcohol problems and discrimination towards ethnic minorities, among other large scale issues. It’s not coincidental that the screenwriters (Cristi Puiu and Răzvan Rădulescu) chose an ageing character for the title role to emphasize these disturbing societal realities. The ageing body of Mr. Lăzărescu becomes invisible in the hospitals of Bucharest, strongly suggesting that ageing people are considered less valuable, their lives less important compared to those of younger generations. It’s utterly tragic that in 2023, almost 20 years after The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu, Romanian society is once again shaken by the maltreatment of the elderly, as authorities are currently investigating systematic abuse at care homes. It’s not surprising that behind Puiu’s film there is also a real-life story which inspired the filmmaker. In 1997, 52-year-old Constantin Nica died on the streets of Bucharest, after the paramedics left him there. Although Nica has been diagnosed with tuberculosis, multiple hospitals turned away from admitting him.
In The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu, the title character is a 62-year-old widower, who lives alone with his cats in a neglected apartment, in Bucharest. Lăzărescu has a daughter, who emigrated to Canada and a sister, who lives in another city, far away from the capital. Lăzărescu suffers from headaches and stomach cramps, so he decides to call an ambulance. His condition slowly starts to deteriorate, however, there is no sign of help, despite reaching out multiple times on the telephone. Running out of options, he seeks the help of his neighbours, who don’t take seriously his condition until he throws up. Ultimately, the ambulance arrives with a nurse (Luminița Gheorghiu), who – once again – seems to underestimate the severity of the case, giving vitamins and glucose to Mr. Lăzărescu. At last, the nurse acknowledges that Mr. Lăzărescu needs to be transported to a hospital. What comes next is an exhaustive ride between different hospitals in a seemingly never-ending struggle to provide admittance and treatment to Mr. Lăzărescu, who becomes more and more defenceless, as he starts to lose his connection with reality.
Based on the film’s initial plot, it’s hard to believe that The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu has a comedic undertone, defining the film as a black comedy. The motive of repetition has a significant value in this regard. Every doctor demands Mr. Lăzărescu to describe his condition, every doctor scolds him for drinking alcohol and every doctor has a patronizing tone – however, they don’t seem eager to help the elderly man. The only ‘variable’ in this repetition is the title character himself, whose condition gets worse on each occasion. Another comedic source derives from the tragicomic triviality showcased in the film. In this world, finding a Nokia charger or getting back a drill machine is more important than taking care of Mr. Lăzărescu. This leads to a dehumanizing effect, which is especially palpable in the case of the elderly man, who seems to be defined as a societal waste by those around him.
The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu first and foremost is contextualized as a film which explores the state of medical care in Romania, essentially the alarming absence of care. Hospitals are presented as hierarchical structures, characterized by power relations, having doctors on the top of the food chain, condemning nurses and patients to subordinate positions. To display these disturbing relations, Puiu chose an ageing character, as ageing people are probably the most vulnerable in the country, when it comes to medical care. Therefore, Mr. Lăzărescu is a strongly representative protagonist and also, a tragically overlooked figure. His words are often misunderstood or literally unheard by his environment, his presence always subsidiary, drifting towards death in the hands of lifeguards. At the very least, he becomes visible and heard to the audiences of the film.
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The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Romanian: Moartea domnului Lăzărescu) is a 2005 Romanian dark comedy film directed by Cristi Puiu and starring Ioan Fiscuteanu and Luminița Gheorghiu.
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