Chernobyl

I'd be even happier if the series would be cast with less prominent stars. After all, Stellan Skarsgård is already unmistakable, Emily Watson's face also gives a hint in advance what kind of heroine her nuclear physicist will be (whether positive or negative), and Barry Keoghan, for example, has never made anything normal, so his presence alone implies certain associations. I would add to this criticism with a few obvious screenwriting crutches: It was as if the recruitment of the miners was taken from a classic western and a few other scenes were very much in the style of the American way of life and their understanding of law and morality. But these are all small things that have no chance to jeopardize an otherwise excellent whole. I myself belong to the Chernobyl generation and the vague news of what happened accompanied my entire childhood. I thus very much welcome the opportunity to experience five HBO-produced episodes on the theme of reconstructing the events and stories of the people immediately surrounding the disaster. I like the idea of just hinting at some key events in the first episode and only explaining them in the lavish conclusion. I also appreciate the individual story of the woman firefighter who lived through the whole tragedy, but above all also survived. And while I had hoped that the intrepid nuclear physicist might not be a piece of fiction, on the other hand, I understand that such knowledge and courage in real life does not belong to a single person. Chernobyl is an important event and if the Russians come up with their own version, I will be there to see it. (14/06/2019)

"Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later that debt is paid." One of those historical events that you think you know about, but you actually don't, even if you have read Alexijevic and watched Zero Hour. Much (if not everything) could be written and praised about Chernobyl: from the procedural focus to the horror styling, the cinematography, the actors' unforced, unintentionally ridiculous "as if Eastern" diction, to the impact on knowledge and emotion. The way the creators combine genres, with education, warnings, subtexts and tributes, is unparalleled in cinema or quality TV. The way… Well, I already mentioned that much could be written and praised, but there is no reason, because the result is an experience that gets under your skin and you just can't get it out of your head. It’s not 5/5, it’s 15,000/3.6. (12/06/2019)

I was going to write the event of the year, but this is the event of the century, because no series or movie has ever gotten more than 97% on FilmBooster, IMDB and similar ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, and the hype is well deserved. In five episodes, HBO serves us in detail the worst man-made disaster of 1986, and the series is a clear proof that the best screenplay is reality itself. The series features plenty of chilling, atmospheric and dense scenes (divers, disposal of infected animals, decomposing bodies in a hospital and self-sacrifice for humanity). Each episode is 100% and in each episode the series focuses on something different, all culminating in a tense trial where I forgot to breathe. The duo of Jared Harris and Stellan Skarsgård steal the show for themselves with their performances, and I really enjoyed the political meetings where the Soviet Union is shown in its true light. A proper piece of filmmaking and probably the most chilling, depressing and uncomfortable spectacle ever. A must see for all and I would make it mandatory at schools. 100% (06/06/2019)

Once again, HBO gave us their absolute best and introduced the viewers to an elaborate adaptation of the most significant nuclear catastrophe to ever happen on Earth. And even though they didn’t cover everything they could have in 5 episodes, they covered everything they needed so they could sell the idea and pass something on at the same time – the repulsiveness of the Soviet regime but also the proof that humanity and heroism exist everywhere. The first two episodes were probably the most important for me, the creators shocked me with the exteriors, which gave me the impression that the crew actually left for Pripyat and filmed theseries about the catastrophe there. The finale is very crucial as well; it shows what the Soviet regime was capable of doing to not only ordinary people but also intellectuals. After all of that, I am not at all surprised that Gorbachev said in the 1990s that Chernobyl was the fatal consequence of the fall of the Soviet Union. What they did there only underscores the whole effect of communism in Russia of the period, where the local “elite” thought they could do whatever they wanted and God in turn showed them that it wasn’t entirely true. Thankfully this didn’t mean the demise of all of us, it was “only” a warning concerning what we are doing wrong in the world. The fact that we are unable to learn our lessonis another matter. However, this is one of the reasons why the series is so important, which is why it is good to see, perceive, and experience it until the very end. The absolute best of this year’s series and in terms of the HBO production, it is the best that could have been created. Precise, accurate, and apt. (11/06/2019)

Human memory is set up in such a way that the major events around us are similar for most people; we remember exactly what we were doing that day. I have that with 11 September, 2001, and with Chernobyl. The day it went up, we had beautiful, cloudless, sunny weather and half the town was catching rays by the dam, myself included. A light rain fell in the evening, although according to the forecast it was not supposed to rain. And I believe that it’s not just my imagination, because it’s said by more witnesses, but the next weeks the milk tasted differently, probably the comrades put iodine in it or something. The comrades covered up and covered up, and then when it blew up, what I found terribly funny was that the first mention of the catastrophe was only on the third or fourth page of the newspaper, a little footnote. And about the series: excellent stuff, no-nonsense, heading straight for the chamber, without carrying any unnecessary plot ballast. That’s how it should be. (30/12/2019)