Puiu’s bare naked mise-en-scene makes the Dardennes look like Penny Marshal in comparison. There’s nothing between his camera and his subject- he’s a master. The way he slowly, imperceptibly transfers protagonist status from Lazarescu to the people trying to save him (with various degrees of effort) is astounding. People who claim this is a black comedy are mistaken- it’s a straight-up, life-affirming comedy without a cynical bone in its body.