Wednesday, September 25, 2019

CHERNOBYL (2019) - Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgard, Emily Watson


Creator:     Craig Mazin       
Actors:       Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgard, Emily Watson

This HBO limited series won 10 Emmys and had numerous other nominations for excellence.  Still, despite the accolades, I didn’t really want to watch people going through the horror of radioactive contamination.

But I was curious, so I made myself comfortable in front of the TV and watched it.  What an experience!  Folks, this story is not about the resulting horrors of a nuclear blast.  Rather, it’s about how humans, no matter their livelihood, age, ethnicity or character, step up to the plate and become heroes during times of inescapable danger.

After the Chernobyl nuclear explosion, the Russian government decides not to reveal the potential horrible outcome of the blast. Meanwhile, people begin to die.  It is an ugly, painful way to die.

Three people decide they will do whatever it takes to expose the true story behind the explosion, not so much for the sake of truth itself, but because other countries must be warned of a flaw in the system which will ultimately result in an explosion.  The area is so contaminated that staying in the blast vicinity for any period of time is guaranteed contamination.

Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgard and Emily Watson portray the three people who are determined to get the true story out. As each episode reveals more and more of the real danger, we see how each character accepts the inevitable truth of the situation.

 For the volunteers who go back inside the building to prevent an even greater blast, it’s a suicidal act for which their families will only receive a few dollars as compensation.  For the miners who agree to strengthen the building’s foundation to withstand pressure buildup, it’s a guaranteed case of death by radiation.

This is a beautifully written story about the depths and heights people reach when disaster strikes.  People make heroic choices every day.  What kind of coward would I be to deny myself the chance to honor it?

TAGS:  Chernobyl, Stellan Skarsgard, Emily Watson, Jared Harris, Johan Renck, Craig Mazin

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