Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by tinear (A) on October 20, 2006 at 15:40:49

striking and terrifying film of an old man's quest for emergency medical care at night in Bucharest.
A 63-yr. old very powerfully built man is stricken with such debilitating pain in his head and stomach that he cannot endure it. After a seemingly interminable fight, he convinces the ambulance service that he seriously is ill.
From there, the real problems begin as a major disaster has flooded the hospitals before his arrival.
Several reviews and the cover itself speak of this film as a comedy: If so, then the crucifixion of Christ must have struck those morons as high comedy, as well.
This film, were it not for the indomitable human spirit which it chronicles, would be all but unwatchable because of the common indifference shown to the character's severe pain and suffering. Yet throughout his ordeal, one woman, a complete stranger, indefatigably tries to help him.
The film is made with such consummate skill that at no time does one feel this is fiction: it has the realism of a well-made documentary.
There are several great films about aging and the inescapable horrors of sickness but none combine them in such a stark, brutal, and affective manner.
With this effort, Romanian director Puiu vaults to the upper rank of his profession.