An old man enters a restaurant in Bucharest. He takes a seat at a table where a younger man who looks like he could be a successful businessman is already eating dessert. Their conversation revolves around a job opening for the older man, who has been out of work for two years. However, if you want work these days, it’s no good coming empty handed. Even if it’s your son whose doing the employing. —Berlinale
Cristi Puiu’s debut as a director was in 2001 with the low budget road movie Stuff and Dough (Marfa si Banii) starring Alexandru Papadopol and Dragos Bucur. The film received several awards in international film festivals and competed in the Quinzaines des Realisateurs section of the Cannes Film Festival. He continued with a short film, Cigarettes and Coffee (Un cartus de Kent si un pachet de cafea, 2004), which was awarded the Golden Bear for best short film at the 2004 Berlin International Film Festival.
His second film, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Moartea domnului Lazarescu, 2005), features the drama of an old man who is carried by an ambulance from hospital to hospital all night long, as doctors keep refusing to treat him and send him away. The film was a critical success, being awarded with Prix Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival and numerous awards at other international film festivals. Year 2006 brought 47 prizes for his film The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Moartea… read more
A son discusses getting a job through bribery for his recently laid off father in this 2004 Golden Bear winning short from Cristi Puiu, director of THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU and AURORA. A simple dialogue scene, but wonderfully acted. There is a lot of power and expert set up in this once little vignette.
