Chernobyl Tragedy 34th Anniversary

Exactly 34-years ago from today, the world experienced its worst nuclear accident in history – contaminating 3.5 million people with deadly radiation and displacing 350,00 Ukrainian citizens. On, Saturday, April 26th 1986, nuclear reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl Power Plant exploded throwing the entire Soviet Union into its most chaotic crisis in its history. As of today nearly 200,000 people have died from the long term effects of the radiation that was spread across the country.

HBO’s, Golden Globe nominated, five part mini-series Chernobyl, masterfully re-tells this tragic accident from the point of view of the, fireman, government officials and citizens that were affected by this incident. The series highlights the dangers of having power-hungry men in positions of power during a crisis and how those men are just as dangerous as the crisis itself. Sound familiar?

During a time of global crisis, we are seeing tragic examples of having greedy incompetent men in positions that merit the safety of the majority and not their personal interest. Perhaps things wouldn’t be so bad if we had more women in power?

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Emily Watson plays nuclear physicist, Ulana Khomyuk, who dedicated herself to finding out the truth behind the explosion and why the Soviet Union is fighting so hard to keep it a secret. Watson’s character is the only person without blood on her hands and a conscience. As she out smarts her male counterparts, her ultimate mission is to expose the fact that this was a highly avoidable incident. Her character is supposed to represent the real-life team of scientist that where working to do the same thing “Ulana Khomyuk” set out to do.

Another stand out performance would be Stellan Skarsgard, who plays Boris Shcherbina – a proud corrupt government official who ends up having a change of heart after radiation cuts his life span down to five years. As the series progresses you see his character adopt more ethical values, while coughing up blood along the way.

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This series brings several important conversations to the forefront. Should there be a system in place that can punish the government for crimes against its citizens? How nefarious is the KGB? Should we stop relying on nuclear energy? Along with important messages, Chernobyl was a simply a great series. The cinematography and performances make it easy to forget your watching a reenactment. In observation of this tragic incident go stream Chernobyl on HBO. Please watch the official trailer below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9APLXM9Ei8