Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Hitchcoc I found this title on a list of outstanding foreign films. It tells the story of a man who has been forgotten, who would like to live, but who is seen as a burden to all those who he encounters. He has had ulcer surgery and apparently other serious, probably fatal ailments. He makes calls to his "loved ones." He tries to navigate his apartment, but is overwhelmed because of pain and weakness. A neighbor grudgingly tries to help him but feels the need to lecture him. It is apparent that he has had issues with alcohol in the past and is quite acerbic. Eventually, he put in an ambulance and a journey from hospital to hospital begins. At no point do the care givers treat him with simple humanity. The paramedic, a tired woman, tries to see to hits needs and get him care, but she is often rebuffed by doctors and hospital personnel. This is gut wrenching and we feel the vicarious pain. He has ceased to be of value in this society. The closing scene is very hard to watch.

billcr12 In the mood for two and a half hours of agonizing torture? I know there are masochists out in the world who have a need to suffer. Here is the perfect solution; a Romanian "dark comedy" in the style of The Hospital from 1971. Both deal with medical mistakes, but the American satire focused on a doctor played by George C. Scott, and this time it is a patient, the unfortunate Mr. Lazarescu, who is the victim of a health care nightmare. Mr. L. lives in his apartment alone with his cats, when he begins to experience severe stomach pains. He calls for an ambulance, and after a long wait, he asks a neighbor for help. They discover that he drinks a homemade booze that is causing most of his problems. He is taken from one hospital to the next, and by the time he reaches the third one, he is unconscious. A major bus accident causes chaos, filling the emergency rooms with other patients. Meanwhile the doctors are indifferent to Lazarezcu's suffering. There is no happy ending in this marathon of misery, and although it is very realistic, almost looking like a documentary, I needed some of that homemade hooch, by the time it was over.

bbrooks94 The noughties has offered up another masterpiece. They are rare in this decade, yet here is another one. Very realistic film which follows a man who is suffering terrible pains in his head and stomach, moving by ambulance from his dingy flat to hospital after hospital in Romania, each one providing a different diagnosis and refusing his entry due to lack of space. Highly recommended! I should add, while it describes itself as a dark comedy drama, it isn't obviously funny (filled with gags or jokes) but incredibly subtle. Despite the depressing situation on screen I somehow wasn't feeling down. There is a satirical bite to this film which one may not notice but is prevalent throughout. The close tracking camera and tightness of the frame truly make you feel like you are sitting beside Lazarescu as he trundles along on his depressing and painful journey. Very moving experience.

bobgeorge1 The Death of Mr Lazarescu is a film that challenges. It is long. 153 minutes long. It has the weighty subject matter that the title suggests. A man of 63 who lives alone with his 3 cats and the comfort of his home made booze is taken from hospital to hospital where busy doctors use the little power they have to make sure they are not responsible for his care. I had expected it to be about alienation and a poor society with a poverty of care. But what was striking was the opposite. One must fear for the Romanians about to become part of the Mighty European Union. This man lives in dowdy circumstances; his home reminded me of my childhood home with tacky plastic table cloths and bland wall tiles. Even the cats are indifferent to him. But there were neighbours; they go into each other's homes; they offer food; they argue over the best course of help. The Nurse who takes him from Hospital to Hospital shows real caring and sees beyond the smell of alcohol that creates the first pre-judgement for everyone. Those rivalries between the different medical professions is universal I'd assume. I found this a tough film to watch. If you've sat with someone dying you'll know how hard it is. The only thing I did wonder throughout was why someone who has had a headache for days would wear a woolly hat in bed?