The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu

Mr. Lăzărescu is 63 years old and lives in a block of flats, together with Nusu, Mirandolina and Fritz, his three cats. His wife died eight years ago and Bianca, his daughter, has moved to Canada. It’s a Saturday evening. Mr. Lazarescu doesn’t feel too well, so he calls for the Ambulance. Until the paramedics arrive he tries to ease his pain with something from his own supply of medicines. Because he is short of the pills he needs, he asks for his neighbors’ help. Sandu and Miki, the neighbors interrupted from their domestic activity, give him the first aid, although they can smell he’s been drinking. What looked like a headache from a hangover turns out to be a much more serious affliction when Lăzărescu, witnessed by the two neighbors, throws up blood. Eventually, the paramedic, Mrs. Mioara, shows up. Smelling the alcohol stench, she gives Mr. Lăzărescu vitamins and glucose and then, after a more thorough investigation, decides to take him to the hospital, suspecting a colon tumor. But things get complicated at the hospital. A car crash with lots of casualties is the priority for the doctors in the ER. To add to this, Doctor Ardelean is in no mood to admit an alcoholic and thus sends Mrs. Mioara, together with Mr. Lăzărescu to another hospital. What looked initially like a simple formality the admission to the hospital and the monitoring of an old man who’s been throwing up and complains of a headache- turns into a nightmare. As the night develops, the paramedic drives around Bucharest, trying to find a hospital that will accept the patient, whose health is deteriorating at an alarming rate.