The Death of Mr. Lazarescu

An odyssey of a dying overweight man through four Bucharest clinics, overwhelmed with victims of a nighttime bus accident. Noting the smell of alcohol on his breath, ambulance staff are in no hurry to provide the unkempt Mr. Lazarescu with the urgently needed brain surgery.

Medical workers in Bucharest have criticized the film for embellishing reality: in truth, they claim, Lazarescu would simply have been left on a bench to wait for the hearse.

🏆 Un Certain Regard Prize, Cannes Film Festival. Critics began speaking in unison about the “Romanian New Wave” — a label the director himself strongly disliked, though it ultimately stuck.