The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005)

From a movie made in Kazakhstan to one made in Romania, I continued my filmic trip around the globe with The Death of Mr. Lazarescu a 2.5hr drama with funny bits about a man being shunted between hospitals as he attempts to get a diagnosis and treatment - and then after all this time he doesn't even die! On screen anyway. 

I watched this film in two sittings, because although, surprisingly, it was never actually boring, it was quite slow and very little happened. Plus it was long. Beginning with Mr. Lazarescu (Ioan Fiscuteanu) calling for an ambulance, we see his neighbours offering comfort, an ambulance arrives to take him off to hospital, with Nurse Mioara (Luminiţa Gheorghiu) by his side from this point on, as they are sent from one hospital to another, as each professes they can do nothing for him. Some are busy as a result of a coach crash, others just don't seem to want to do anything for Mr. Lazarescu, who visibly becomes more sick as the night wears on. 

If the movie is supposed to represent an indictment of the Romanian hospital system, then it does a good job. All of the doctors are surly if not outright rude, both to their patient and poor Mioara, who just wants to get Mr. Lazarescu admitted so that she can go and help someone else who needs an ambulance. There's absolutely no sense of urgency from any of the medical staff. It's not as funny as Getting On in it's portrayal of the NHS, but there are some amusing moments and character pieces. This is not a movie I would recommend in a hurry, nor is it one I'd watch again, but it is one that held my attention and the drama and realism felt like I was watching a documentary, or more appropriately an exposé on Romanian healthcare.