The subject of the documentary is profoundly interesting, but it is presented in a way that is at the same time confusing and predictable.
Confusing, because the conclusion the documentary tries to push doesn't align with the testimonies shared by the interviewees. The documentary ends by saying that those who feel nostalgic about (certain aspects of) Romanian communism do so because they have forgotten the negative parts. However, many interviewees discussed in detail the hardships of life under communism, so they are obviously capable of remembering.
To be clear, I believe that communist regimes deserve criticism. My concern is that the creators of this documentary seem unable to apply the same level of scrutiny to capitalism. If someone has spent part of their life under a system of organization different from capitalism and is now unhappy with certain aspects of capitalism, it is only natural for them to explain their dissatisfaction by making comparisons with that other system. It's quite shortsighted to dismiss their criticism of capitalism as mere "misplaced nostalgia" because they use communism as a frame of reference.
My characterization of this documentary as predictable stems from this point: it merely reproduces the dominant narrative about the communism/capitalism dichotomy that we all absorb simply by growing up in the Western world. We already know how bad communism was, and we're not learning significant insights about the Romanian experience here. Furthermore, the film is rather unreflective about the negative aspects of capitalism, to the extent that it feels uncomfortable to voice any substantial criticism. This is ironic when highlighting the abhorrent indoctrination, conformity, and uniformity imposed under communism.
