In 2015, a fire killed 27 people in the Collectiv nightclub in Bucharest, Romania, with another 37 people dying of burns over the following months. The national government healthcare scandal that emerged in the tragedy's aftermath is the focus of the Oscar-nominated 2019 documentary Collective from writer, director, co-producer and editor Alexander Nanau.
Let me warn you upfront: this documentary is glacially slow and very subtle. However, that's partly why it works so well because half of it is told from the perspective of journalists at the Gazeta Sporturilor newspaper as they uncover and then report on the Collectiv fire and then the Romanian government's response to that; the other half is shown from the perspectives of that government. This technique is employed for impartiality and restraint, with it working thoroughly.
Naturally, despite Nanau's detached and neutral directorial tone the journalists' conduct contrasts wildly with that of the featured government officials, but that simply demonstrates who was and was not committed to exposing the truth about this entire scandal and applying responsibility. The result is a riveting, powerful and thought-provoking investigation into corruption and maladministration that I'd recommend to anybody when they feel like complaining about their country's health care system. After watching it, hopefully you'll consider it better than Romania's.
No comments:
Post a Comment