--- title: "Collective: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/collective/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/collective" critics_score: 88 critics_reviews: 16 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Collective (2019): what the critics said Critics' score 88 from 16 reviews: 16 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are unanimous: sixteen critics, sixteen positive verdicts, and most find Alexander Nanau’s documentary as gripping as a thriller. The praise clusters around the journalists’ patient investigation into Romania’s hospitals after the Colectiv nightclub fire, and around the access Nanau secures, particularly to the young reform-minded health minister. Several critics single out the same two moments: secretly filmed footage of maggots in a patient’s wound, and the survivor Tedy Ursuleanu. The observational style, with no narration, is repeatedly credited for the film’s force. Reservations barely exist. Scores run from a lone 70 to a pair of full marks, and the lowest, from Screen Daily at the festival premiere, still calls the film accomplished and gripping; it simply praises more quietly. The only real difference is emphasis: The Independent and The Telegraph read it as a conspiracy thriller in the line of Spotlight or All the President’s Men, while Sight and Sound and Slant treat it as an argument about public responsibility and a free press. ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 5/5. 29 October 2020. The review calls it a gripping, must-see documentary that expands the story of the nightclub fire into a takedown of a corrupt state, with forensic skill and quiet fury. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/collective) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2020. Alexander Nanau’s bracing documentary plays like a gripping real-time thriller about the fallout from a nightclub fire and the dark forces confronting journalism. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/collective-review-alexander-nanau-1234599567/) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2020. The critic calls the film a brilliant, suspenseful exposé of medical malpractice and corruption with universal implications, especially timely during the pandemic. It singles out the journalists' dogged investigation and the young health minister's transparency efforts for praise. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-11-18/collective-review-documentary) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 2020. The critic praises the film's scalpel-like precision in exposing corruption in Romania's health service following the Colectiv fire, noting its observational style and universal relevance to public responsibility. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/collective-alexander-nanau-fire-fraud-romanian-health-service) ## The AV Club — Noel Murray Rating A-. 17 November 2020. The documentary is a taut, intense procedural that follows a journalistic investigation into Romania’s dysfunctional medical bureaucracy after a nightclub fire, exposing corruption while remaining emotionally wrenching. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/a-medical-tragedy-exposes-a-government-s-deep-rooted-fl-1845698965) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2020. The critic praises Nanau’s searing documentary for exposing Romania’s widespread healthcare corruption and gangsterism following the Colectiv fire, highlighting the heroic investigation by journalist Cătălin Tolontan. The review singles out the film’s depiction of bureaucratic indifference and a secretly filmed video of maggots in a patient’s wound as particularly horrifying. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/19/collective-review-alexander-nanau-catalin-tolontan) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Deborah Young Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2019. Festival review. The film is a visceral exposé of hospital corruption following a deadly nightclub fire, reaching emotional depths through its observational style while celebrating sound investigative journalism. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/collective-review-1239017/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating Critic’s Pick. 19 November 2020. The critic praises the documentary for its coherent and staggering account of the scandals following the 2015 nightclub fire and the journalists' investigation into hospital corruption. It singles out the resilience and story of survivor Tedy Ursuleanu for praise. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/movies/collective-documentary-review.html) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 18 November 2020. The critic calls the documentary gripping and highlights its portrayal of intense investigative journalism uncovering wholesale corruption in Romania’s medical establishment after the Colectiv fire. It singles out the astounding access to key figures and Hollywood-style plot twists as standout features. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/collective-review-plot-twists-astound-in-a-true-tale-of-corruption-3lcdtt57m) ## The Independent — Jake Coyle Rating 3.5/4. 19 November 2020. The piercing documentary exposes government corruption in Romania's healthcare system following a nightclub fire and is as absorbing as Spotlight. It singles out the striking access to a reform-minded health minister and the grim visual metaphor of maggots in wounds for particular impact. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/review-in-collective-the-rot-of-government-corruption-government-corruption-corruption-nightclub-journalists-romania-b1732305.html) ## Slant Magazine — Diego Semerene Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 16 November 2020. The film is a searing chronicle of institutional corruption that reminds viewers without investigative reporting there is no democracy, highlighting the collaborative nature and urgency of journalism in the face of horror. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/collective-review-alexander-nanau/) ## Variety — Jay Weissberg Rating Critics Pick. 6 September 2019. Festival review. The critic hails it as an explosive observational documentary exposing sickening corruption with resonance far beyond Romania. It singles out the focus on journalists uncovering diluted disinfectants and the universal themes of lies and lack of empathy for praise. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/collective-review-1203325599/) ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2020. The review describes how Nanau’s documentary follows journalists exposing layers of wrongdoing in Romania’s health system after the nightclub fire, likening it to conspiracy thrillers like All the President’s Men. It singles out the focus on health minister Vlad Voiculescu’s reform efforts as a key element. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/collective-review-single-accident-brought-corrupt-romanian-elite/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2019. Festival review. Praises the accomplished documentary for its gripping investigative study of the fire and healthcare scandal, with a brisk narrative that promises exposure beyond festivals. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/collective-venice-review/5142205.article) ## The Playlist — Chris Barsanti Rating A+. 22 November 2020. The critic calls the film a riveting drama of catastrophic amorality, commending its clear-eyed procedural approach to uncovering widespread corruption and its balance of professionalism with dark humor. It singles out the human cost and the tenacity of journalists and reformers. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/collective-nation-in-collapse-review-20201122/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 17 November 2020. The critic praises Nanau's damning documentary for exposing systemic corruption in Romania's healthcare system following the Colectiv nightclub fire, noting how little has changed since earlier Romanian films on the subject. It highlights the importance of a free press and the personal toll on reformers and survivors. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/collective-2019-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/collective.md