The Neglect of Mr. Lazarescu

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu is a Romanian film that follows Lazarescu Dante Remus as he is taken by paramedics from hospital to hospital in a futile attempt to find medical treatment before his eventual death. He faces disrespectful young doctors and a bus crash that has overbooked emergency rooms in the local hospitals. The film is a chronological account of events on the night of Lazarescu's death. It takes place almost in real time, a two and one half hour movie that covers about five or six hours, and mainly brings to light the generation gap forming in modern civilizations.

The movie is told in almost real time, causing it to be slow and include much unnecessary action. While this effect can be detrimental to the film, it shows the night's experiences as Lazarescu would experience them. The frustration that the viewer experiences during all the time spent seemingly waiting around is a shared experience with the protagonist. He is in urgent need of medical care, yet the ticking clock of his body shutting down does not seem to concern anybody but him and the one of the two paramedics who is also in her later years.

The main theme of the movie is the generational conflict between young and old. Lazarescu has called for an ambulance all day, being dismissed by a younger, disinterested dispatcher, before his neighbor must call for an ambulance in order for Lazarescu to be treated. He is treated less than human in his old age and is only referred to as "Pops" by members of the younger generation. Similarly, his elderly paramedic's desperation to get treatment for Lazarescu seems to fall on deaf ears, especially given the fact that all of the hospitals are filled with critically injured bus crash victims. Even the older paramedic expresses a wish to get a hospital to admit Lazarescu so she can be rid of him. In the end he is passed from doctor to doctor and hospital to hospital as he dies alone on a stretcher, his being alone stressed throughout the movie, as younger hospital staff, with no sense of urgency whatsoever, prepare for the end of their night shift.

JSA

The film, JSA (Joint Security Area) covers numerous topics relevant to international cinema such as nationalism, national borders, civil war, and the bonds that are formed and/or broken during these violent struggles. In JSA, the country was Korea. The national borders that separated the communists from the "puppets" (as Seargent Oh would call them) also separated brothers, causing them to violently turn on each other. The theme of national pride is a prevalent one in this film, as the soldiers on both sides not only feel pride for their respective ideals and their armies, but also for the nation of Korea as a single unit. This is ironic because the country is so divided by war and hate, yet the central uniting factor is the love for the mother country shared by all. Another theme that seems to be the driving force in the film, is that of friendship and brotherhood. The fact that a soldier would save the life of an enemy he has been trained to fight and kill is strange enough, but the fact that they could become "brothers" in the midst of the bloodshed surrounding them in times of war is nothing short of miraculous. When Seargent Oh and Jang save Lee from the bomb wire, it signifies the beginning of a close friendship, and perhaps even symbolizes a future hope that the war will come to an end when both sides realize that they are all truly Korean brothers.

"The film "Nine Queens" makes quite a few statements about Argentina and globalization. The biggest statement I believe this film makes about Argentina is the moral crisis regarding poverty and crime, and how people must weigh their survival against the crime life. In terms of theatrical perception and portrayal, Argentina comes off as a crime filled country that is very dirty. Little crimes seem common and unavoidable. I believe that the point of portraying Argentina this way was to draw attention to the poverty/crime inside Argentina and perhaps draw help to it. I think this film is more of an attention getter for political reasons."

--Derek Roberts
(taken from my response on the forum)