Just like last year's Macedonian film Honeyland, this Romanian documentary film is nominated for both Best International Feature Film and Best Documentary Feature, and it was no surprise. Shocking, bracing, piercing and unrelenting, Collective showed unflinchingly showed a government and a healthcare system that was corrupted to its core, placing profits and politic interests over basic healthcare needs and human life.
This film was absolutely frustrating to watch and was impossible not to feel riled up by the injustice of it all. Kudos to the team of investigative journalists (and all others not depicted) for breaking the story, the technocrats led by Vlad Voiculescu, and also to the amazing film team spearheaded by Director/Co-writer Alexander Nanau for getting this film made.
Collective was unlike your typical docu-film where there were a rotating ensemble of talking heads interjected with footages. Here, like in the fellow Documentary-nominee The Mole Agent, Nanau had presented the subject as more of a narrative film with us following the protagonists as they uncovered conspiracies and cover-ups, and got thwarted by bureaucratic red-tapes and unexpected tragedies. Seriously, the "plot-twists" could make daytime soaps jealous. And again, because of this technique, Collective was highly engaging and emotionally resonant.
In particular, Nanau's choice for highlighting the human consequences of the corruption, giving airtime to the victims of the tragedy and their grieving family, added an additional dimension of compassion and empathy to the viewing experience. It clearly showed the consequence of such irresponsible governance, but, at the same time, also helped to re-enforce the tragedy of the film's ending, where seemingly nothing appeared to have changed or will change.
The vicious cycle enveloping such institutional and widespread corruption, and the political apathy of a democratic population is a stark warning to all of us living in more fortunate circumstances.
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