It's taken me less than 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days to see another Romanian movie, after The Death of Mr Lazarescu, and on the basis of these two movies, I'd happily watch another from that country again soon. 'Happily' however, is not a word I would associate with this film about an abortion in Communist Romania. Depicting one day in the lives of Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) and Gabita (Laura Vasiliu), as the uni room-mates check into a hotel and contact a black-market abortionist to terminate Gabita's pregnancy, the movie naturally has none of Mr. Lazarescu's good humour, and is thankfully shorter - thankfully because this is an emotionally draining film.
Told with understated drama and emotion, the two young actresses at the middle of the movie are astonishing, particuarly Marinca, whose Otilia we follow throughout as she books the hotel room, meets the abortionist, grudgingly agrees to his method of payment (sex), and then leaves her prone friend, with probe implanted and awaiting... well, the endgame, to attend her boyfriend's parents' party. The camera never returns to Gabita until Otilia does, so I was on the edge of my seat to find out what had happened to her - she wasn't answering the phone! Had there been complications? Had she died? Had the hotel staff found her and called the police? It was more gripping than several thrillers I've seen, and yet all was played with such realism and despair... When Otilia found Gabita safe and well, and then found that the aborted fetus (it's a bit distressing to type those two words for some reason - I'm not anti-abortion, but this movie would certainly put you off the backstreet variety) on the bathroom floor... it's hard to describe how good the drama is without sounding heartless. I've not seen a movie as powerful as this for a while - it goes to show that even such controversial subject matter can produce a rivetting film, in the right hands.
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.
