A film with a minimal plot: Mr. Lazarescu is very ill one day and a 'nurse' (stop fancying -- already in her 50s) takes him on a 'journey' from one doctor to another, each of whom comes up with a different diagnosis, and from one hospital to another, all of which are short of beds and the 'right' personnel and/or equipment, until Lazarescu's death puts an end to it.
Despite the tragic ending, the film is in fact a comedy, one that may not set you off laughing your head off, but that will definitely raise a smile. The destined helplessness of Lazarescu's medical journey and sadness of his death are completely offset by the playful dialogues and amusing description of humanity: the chaotic quarrelsome but definitely warm and happy -- in its own down-to-earth sense -- life of the couple nextdoor; the laughable ignorance and self-styled 'know-it-all' attitude of the in fact sympathetic and dutiful nurse; the snobbishness and self-righteousness that the doctors use to hide their exhaustion, ignorance and yearning for family and love. These characters' stories that weave together to form Lazarescu's last journey are making a hundred different statements of life. However different from one another they may seem, these statements are in fact celebrating one thing all the same: tender complexity of humanity.
Despite the tragic ending, the film is in fact a comedy, one that may not set you off laughing your head off, but that will definitely raise a smile. The destined helplessness of Lazarescu's medical journey and sadness of his death are completely offset by the playful dialogues and amusing description of humanity: the chaotic quarrelsome but definitely warm and happy -- in its own down-to-earth sense -- life of the couple nextdoor; the laughable ignorance and self-styled 'know-it-all' attitude of the in fact sympathetic and dutiful nurse; the snobbishness and self-righteousness that the doctors use to hide their exhaustion, ignorance and yearning for family and love. These characters' stories that weave together to form Lazarescu's last journey are making a hundred different statements of life. However different from one another they may seem, these statements are in fact celebrating one thing all the same: tender complexity of humanity.
If you're looking for a movie that tells little tragic stories of 'nobodies' and 'somebodies' in a comical lively way, you just can't miss this one.
IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0456149/
N.B. I also experienced some complexities when watching this film: 1. To catch the next film, I really had to miss the last 10 minutes or so; 2. Someone beside me, if not asleep, just couldn't stop yawning, moving and checking her watch... ^____^
1 comment:
haha! well.... sorry for the "someone beside you" haha!
It sounds interesting wor!
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