The Death of Mr. Lazarescu

"A black comedy with serious side effects."

2005 2h 34m RO

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 205

DramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After suffering terrible headaches and stomach cramps, Mr. Lăzărescu, a lonely 63 year-old man, calls for an ambulance, beginning one man’s hellish journey through Bucharest hospitals in search of proper medical care. As the night unfolds, his health starts to deteriorate fast.

“A black comedy with serious side effects.”

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Cast

Ion Fiscuteanu
Mr. Lăzărescu
Luminița Gheorghiu
Mioara Avram
Doru Ana
Sandu Sterian
Monica Bîrlădeanu
Mariana
Alina Berzunțeanu
Dr. Zamfir
Alexandru Potocean
Stretcher-bearer, Bagdasar Hospital
Dana Dogaru
MIhaela Sterian
Florin Zamfirescu
Dr. Ardelean

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Cristi Puiu
Writers: Răzvan Rădulescu, Cristi Puiu
Languages: Romanian
Countries: Romania

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 154 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 55% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 21 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Cristi Puiu, shot by Oleg Mutu. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dana Bunescu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ion Fiscuteanu and Luminița Gheorghiu and Doru Ana carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A black comedy with serious side effects.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Cristi Puiu directs. Oleg Mutu behind the camera. Dana Bunescu cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Romania. Dialogue in Romanian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 154 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
2Shot for just $0.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Earned back only 55% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
4Released 21 years ago.
5Directed by Cristi Puiu, shot by Oleg Mutu. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Dana Bunescu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Ion Fiscuteanu and Luminița Gheorghiu and Doru Ana carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A black comedy with serious side effects.".
9IMDB entry: tt0456149 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "ambulance", "alcohol", "dark comedy", "melancholy".