Collective (2020)
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
One of the best films of 2020.
Documenting the tragedy of a Romanian club fire, but bringing to light corruption in the medical care of patients, and dereliction of duty in the highest levels of government, Collective is more connected to current events and controversies than we initially may realize.
Reminds us of the necessity of a free press, and the importance of holding people accountable to their words and actions. This is a staggering achievement in not only documentary filmmaking, but also in underscoring the fragility of trust in institutions and governance.
NO
Life is hard enough right now, so it can be a tough sell to convince yourself to watch a documentary about malfeasance in the medical industry and journalists exposing coverups and improper actions by the institutions we are supposed to trust.
With a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and universal acclaim, Collective should be seen. It is Romanian, with subtitles, and its a documentary - so if that’s your out, I guess feel free to take it?
Not an easy watch - the reveals are startling and the movie leaves an impact.
OUR REVIEW
Collective is a staggering work of journalism, a documentary from Romanian filmmaker Alexander Nanau, which feels as if it exists in a world far removed from ours but may be predictive of more than we realize.
Available in virtual cinemas and on demand, Collective takes its name from a horrific tragedy. In October 2015, during a performance by metal band Goodbye to Gravity at a club called Collective, a fire breaks out. At first, the fire seemed small and manageable until it gained hold and ravaged the venue. Initially, 27 people perished - an awful number on any scale, but within a few months of the fire 64 individuals would die and hundreds more suffered injuries of varying degrees. As details emerged that Collective had no fire exits, no emergency plan and other deficiencies, people rightfully began to wonder if some, if not all of these deaths could have been prevented.
That jump from 27 deaths to 64 in the days and weeks after the incident started raising more and more questions. Reports emerged that a commonality among those who died was the appearance of a bacterial infection, as well as indications of improper care and treatment. Upon learning that disinfectants used to clean the hospitals have been diluted to an almost useless degree, a team of reporters from the Sport Gazette newspaper, led by investigative sportswriter/editor Catalin Tolontan, arrange for testing the cleaning materials.
Once the results confirmed the suspicions, the allegations were proven true - the hospitals in question were derelict in their responsibilities, and the scandal around the Collective tragedy explodes in an entirely different way.
If this seems like a story at arms-length to you, geographically speaking this is probably true. However, the uncovering of the disinfectant scandal creates not just an imbroglio for Hexi Pharma, the manufacturer of the cleaning products who perpetuated the lie that their products were legitimate. Soon, the Minister of Health resigns, the Romanian government realigns, a brooding distrust of government officials swells, and the very healthcare system that is supposed to take care of its citizens is seen scrambling to make excuses, apologies, and attempt to place an entire country at ease.
You can see, from American governance, the ways people can grow distrustful of the media, the work of our government, elected officials, and even our very own neighbors and colleagues. The discoveries Nanau uncovers in Collective are frightfully close, if not currently existing in America and around the world, as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
To be clear: Collective predates COVID-19. The film spans approximately four years of tireless journalistic and investigative work. The issues of Collective are the issues facing us now. Journalists seeking answers remind us of the viability of a free press. People dying as a result of inadequate access to health care is something debated in the Halls of Congress and on both sides of our political aisle – as pre-existing conditions, women’s access to reproductive health and rights, and the Affordable Care Act are a constant discussion in our politics.
And the rampant distrust around elected officials and government leadership, and their perceived intentions day-by-day, is cemented in American culture as a population of everyday citizens demand answers and the reassurances that they, or their loved ones, will be taken care of if and when they need assistance.
Nanau’s film is eerily prescient on how manipulation, reckless disregard of others can, well, go viral, and the rest of us are left grasping at determining what is truth and what is reality.
We visit hospitals. We watch journalists build a legal case. We see the media lash out over the uncertainty of balancing the court of public opinion while also perpetuating those in power who want to see those driving the story discredited.
Nanau never flinches in telling this story. Tantalon never wavers in pushing forward. And it is hard not to envision a scandal like this a breath away from us in America, with the war between media, politics, and a lack of trust in our institutions is so prevalent and rampant.
He punctuates his documentary with cell phone footage of the fire, and one astonishing video given to Tantalon and his team shows actual maggots crawling around the face of a burn victim, while lying awake in a hospital bed. Concurrent to the events within the film, we meet Tedy Ursunleau – a model and artist, who has turned her scars into art. An exhibit of portraiture leads to her putting a unique spin on recovery and a solitude with life’s challenges. As she gives interviews and shares her work, she is more than a poster girl for the Collective tragedy. She serves as a symbolic resolution that her survival, scars and all, comes at the tragedy of others who did not get the same chance.
Collective leaves an unsettling feeling in your gut, but it speaks truth and reality. The details press heavy on the young, new Minister of Health, Vlad Voiculescu, who tries to manage these cases and developments through a patient’s advocacy lens.
And all of what that fire meant and brought to the surface feels, at once, necessary, immense, and daunting. Death and hope co-exist. Reformation and resignment walk side by side. Tragedy and anger are uncomfortably nestled in together. Collective captures who we are and is one of the finest films of 2020.
CAST & CREW
Documentary Featuring: Catalin Tolontan, Tedy Ursunleau, Vlad Voiculescu, Razvan Lutec, Mirela Neag.
Director: Alexander Nanau
Written by: Alexander Nanau, Antoaneta Opris
Release Date: November 20, 2020
Magnolia Pictures