A tragic nightclub fire leads to a domino effect of consequences that cascade through Romanian society in Alexander Nanau’s exceptional documentary
This absorbing, harrowing documentary from Romanian director Alexander Nanau shines a spotlight on an awful episode in the country’s recent history: a nightclub fire in 2015 that claimed 64 lives, many of them as a result of bacterial infections while they were being treated in hospital for their burns. The ensuing scandal exposed a seam of corruption and gangsterism in the medical authorities, and brought down the government.
The bare details of what happened pack a hell of a punch. In the first few minutes of the film, we see footage from inside the club as the blaze takes hold: on-stage fireworks ignite wall panels during the live set of an angry metal band called Goodbye to Gravity. As realisation dawns on the band, and audience panic sets in, there’s a frantic scramble for the exit in a near-identical manner to the 2003 Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island that claimed even more lives.