alaserexperts I doubt the proponents of Obamacare would ever care to watch a movie that tells the truth about anything that contradicts their socialist ideology -including socialized medicine.Inspired by real events, "The Death Of Mr. Lazarescu" and it's a (very) dark foreign comedy about an old man with a drinking problem and his tribulations in the state run medical system. After literally an entire night of being sent by ambulance from one hospital to another (I believe 6 hospitals in total) where doctors and medical personnel are overworked, underpaid and completely disinterested in the medical act, Mr. Lazarescu finally dies on a stretcher, victim of a state-run medical system that is as compassionate and caring as the DMV.This film is a cautionary tale against the ills of socialized medicine: people die and nobody gives a crap. What defines this movie is its incredible realism and if seen by enough Americans would cause Obamacare to fail miserably.

Aleks Stosich Dull, demeaning, even if it is realistic. I can't believe this is marketed as a comedy, or reviewed as 'art', or even poetic and kafkaesque. I was actually given this DVD as a gift, and for the first time ever, I actually threw out a DVD. You can only find this funny if you have not been in that situation. If you have, it's tragic, and not in the least entertaining. As much as it is a reality that "we all have to bite the dust some time", dignity should be part of that ending of our lives. Watching a man die in agony, alone, was not an example of the inevitability of our mortality; I could not just shrug and press stop. An embarrassment to Romania, a disappointment to my friends and I, and a waste of time for anyone.

paul2001sw-1 A near-three hour film about the lonely death of a cantankerous old drunk, and the failings of the Romanian health service, may not sound much like fun. But 'The Death of Mr. Lazarescu' has been called a black comedy, and, although that's pushing it (the comedy is really very dark indeed), superb naturalistic acting infuses this sad tale with a real emotional kick. Some of what we see bears resemblance to the themes of U.S. police show 'The Wire'; that a key part of the job of underfunded public servants is denying access to the service that is nominally being provided; and how those who work in such a system dehumanise themselves in order to survive. But thanks to the brilliant performances on offer here, we also see faint glimmers of surviving decency in almost all of even the superficially wost of those Mr. Lazarescu is unfortunate enough to encounter on his last journey. For those of us who live in richer countries than Romania, we may have reason to hope that our own ends are not quite so grim; but this is a universal story, powerfully told.

bobgeorge1 The Death of Mr Lazarescu is a film that challenges. It is long. 153 minutes long. It has the weighty subject matter that the title suggests. A man of 63 who lives alone with his 3 cats and the comfort of his home made booze is taken from hospital to hospital where busy doctors use the little power they have to make sure they are not responsible for his care. I had expected it to be about alienation and a poor society with a poverty of care. But what was striking was the opposite. One must fear for the Romanians about to become part of the Mighty European Union. This man lives in dowdy circumstances; his home reminded me of my childhood home with tacky plastic table cloths and bland wall tiles. Even the cats are indifferent to him. But there were neighbours; they go into each other's homes; they offer food; they argue over the best course of help. The Nurse who takes him from Hospital to Hospital shows real caring and sees beyond the smell of alcohol that creates the first pre-judgement for everyone. Those rivalries between the different medical professions is universal I'd assume. I found this a tough film to watch. If you've sat with someone dying you'll know how hard it is. The only thing I did wonder throughout was why someone who has had a headache for days would wear a woolly hat in bed?