ABSTRACT
The film Collective got its name from a popular nightclub in Romania that will always be remembered as the location of a national tragedy. The unsanitary conditions where they were treating the burn victims was the cause of many of the deaths. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Collective is the absence of “talking heads” and experts speaking direct to camera, so common in most documentaries. When the young people of Romania initially took to the streets to protest after the Collective club fire, it felt like a turning point in Romanian history for Alexander Nanau and was the inspiration for him to pick up his camera. As the story progressed, and as Nanau learnt the capability, inhumanity and corruption of the healthcare system, it had a huge effect on him. The Collective story unfolded as other governments' manipulation around the world was becoming more blatant too.
