Death of Mr. Lazarescu

Introduction by Professor Tamara Falicov. Since the fall of the Ceausescu regime, filmmakers have taken the role as cultural critics to view the recent past with new eyes and ears. The majority in their 20s and 30s, these directors have been hailed as “A New Wave” by Western critics. This series of contemporary Romanian cinema asks the audience whether one can see these films as a collective, uniform movement. An undisputed theme running through these films is that most draw their inspiration from the Communist regime that dominated Romania from 1967-1989, a time frame that spans most of their childhoods. Films such as 12:08 East of Bucharest and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu explore the absurdity of the government system and the ways citizens were forced to work around the rules to survive. Many of the films employ humor and other mechanisms for adapting to an increasingly dark and oppressive culture. This film series has been organized by Tamara Falicov, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Film and Media Studies at KU. It is presented in conjunction with visiting Romanian artist Dan Perjovschi's installation in the Spencer Museum of Art's Central Court. "Death of Mr. Lazarescu" Mr. Lazarescu, a 63 year old lonely man feels sick and calls the ambulance. When it arrives the doctor decides he should take him to the hospital but once there they decide to send him to another hospital and then yet another... As the night unfolds and they can't find a hospital for Mr. Lazarescu, his health starts to deteriorate fast. (150 minutes)