The Death of Mr Lazarescu DVD, 2005

The title is hard to top for brutal bluntness. Puiu's film follows the progress of an elderly man from mild discomfort to... well, you've already had the spoiler. After waiting an hour for the ambulance, Lazarescu is trundled from hospital to hospital and trolley to trolley, encountering every bureaucratic and logistical obstruction imaginable. His ordeal raises profound questions about the nature of humanity, via the frailty of our own bodies and the way we react to people when in direst need. The film's power lies in the contrast between Lazarescu's literally life-changing experience and the shift-clocking attitude of those around him - only paramedic Mioara feels sorry for him, and that's because he offers her a glimpse into her own future. The first of six films set in the Bucharest suburbs, Puiu has raised the bar so high it'll be fascinating to see what comes next: his film already ranks alongside the great humanist masterpieces of De Sica and Wiseman. It's also often very funny, but the laughter is that of uneasy self-recognition.

Michael Brooke on 6th October 2006
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