The Death of Mr. Lazarescu

A landmark for the Romanian New Wave and one of the creations that drew the attention of the global film community to the Balkan country, Kristi Puiu's film is a hauntingly stark exploration of loneliness and mortality in a cynically indifferent bureaucratic system.

Synopsis

Retired Dante Lazarescu, who lives alone in Bucharest, feels unwell and a neighbouring couple help him until the ambulance arrives. The accompanying nurses carry him from hospital to hospital where he is barely able to undergo the necessary tests before finally falling into a coma.