Based upon the true events of April 1986, Chernobyl 1986 tells the story of Prypyat in the days surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. The film begins with a bittersweet romance between fireman Alexey Karpushin (Danila Kozlovskiy) and hairdresser Olga Savostina (Oksana Akinshina) who were lovers in the 70s in Kyiv. Alexey is repeatedly rejected by Olga, but he persists, trying to reignite their relationship. He then discovers that Olga has a 10-year-old son who is most likely his offspring. With this knowledge fresh in his mind, the nearby reactor explodes. Only having left his position the day before, Alexey rushes to aid his comrades at the reactor.
He finds a scene of death and devastation, pulling his dead and dying friends from the radioactive husk of the reactor before being conscripted to drive to the hospital. There, he meets with government bigwigs and volunteers his knowledge and his life to helping avoid further disaster: The critical nuclear pile is sinking rapidly towards the underground water reserves that power the reactor’s turbines. What follows are several desperate attempts of the liquidators to drain the water before the nuclear material reaches it and blows tons of radioactive material into the atmosphere.
There are several movements to this film. It begins as a romantic drama that quickly shifts into a disaster movie, and ends as a simple heroic tale against insurmountable odds. There is a hopeless beauty that holds the film together. The effects of the radiation on the environment and the people of Prypyat are as fast-acting as they are gruesome. The images of irradiated birds plummeting from the sky like meteors and half the forest turned brown where the radiation had settled were particularly chilling and beautiful. The set-dressing and costuming are fantastic and transport the viewer back to the later days of the USSR.
This is not a feel-good flick, but it is an outstanding film with thoughtful use of color, brilliant visual storytelling, and chilling images captured with a keen eye. Chernobyl 1986 is suitable for film collections of disaster, drama, and history genres. All considered Chernobyl 1986 is a highly recommended purchase for international film library shelves.