‘Collective’ spotlights journalists’ relentless drive
Collective Not rated. Running time: 109 minutes. Begins streaming Friday, Nov. 20, on most major streaming platforms. of 4
666out
No surprise, given my profession, but I love a good investigative journalism movie. From “All the President’s Men” to “Spotlight,” thrillers that show newspaper reporters’ relentless drive to discover the truth at the bottom of the worst scandals are as exciting to me as any action movie.
And given the last four years, when a free press has been wrongly labeled “fake news,” a movie like “Collective” has restorative powers — even if it is set in Romania, not the United States.
“Collective” is a fascinating documentary that seems to unfold over real time. It follows a group of Romanian newspaper reporters as they uncover the systemic corruption behind Romania’s health care system that came to light after the infamous Colectiv nightclub fire in 2015 in which 64 people died and 146 were injured.
What was puzzling was that many of the deaths occurred while the victims were being treated in hospitals. When autopsies revealed they had been killed not from their injuries but by bacteria after disinfectants were intentionally diluted to line the pockets of the manufacturer, the intrepid reporters of Bucharest’s Sports Gazette uncover asystem of corruption and nepotism that values money and power over saving lives.
The scandal led to the resignation of much of the government, including Prime Minister Victor Ponta.
What’s amazing about “Collective” is that the in
vestigation happens right in front of our eyes. Director Alexander Nanau and his crew embedded themselves with the Sports Gazette investigative team, including lead reporter Catalin Tolontan, soon after the paper published its first story on
what would become a national crisis.
We’re there as the reporters stake out bigwigs and gather evidence. We’re there in production meetings, strategy discussions, news conferences and even on the scene of a fiery car crash that kills the head of Hexi Pharma, which produced the diluted disinfectant. (The reporters cast doubt on the official verdict of suicide.)
If that was all there was to “Collective” — a ripped-offthe-headlines movie — it would still be special. But
Nanau takes it to another level in two ways.
First, he profiles some of the surviving fire victims and their arduous rehab, both emotional and physical. There are human faces, real victims, behind this catastrophe. An art exhibit in Bucharest honoring the victims is especially moving.
Second, Nanau and his crew also embed, in the film’s second half, with the government’s new minister of health, Vlad Voiculescu. A idealistic man intent on reforming the system, we see how he comes to understand the enormity of the situation and how idealism must bend to practicality. At one point he says, exasperated, “How the hell can we solve this?”
The conscience of the film is, of course, Tolontan. He is dogged but patient in his pursuit of truth and justice, with a guiding principle: “When the press bows down to authority,” he says, “the authorities mistreat its citizens.” Good to keep in mind.