The Death of Mr. Lazarescu

(Tartan) Directed by Cristi Puiu

Lacerating, invigorating, and unlike anything you've ever seen, Romanian director Cristi Puiu's Dante-esque journey into the depths of his country's health-care system follows one single man (Ion Fiscuteanu), a curmudgeonly urbanite living alone with a cat, from an emergency phone call to an ambulance and then on to a succession of hospitals, as he seeks out proper care for his alarming stomach pains. Shot with a knowing absurdism, Puiu's vision, a descent into a very real hell on earth, is a compelling work of art that's not to be missed.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Brant Publications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning