The Real Chernobyl is an incredibly powerful documentary that takes viewers to the scene of history’s worst nuclear accident. On April 26, 1986, reactor #4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine exploded, releasing a massive plume of radioactive material across the region and sparking mass evacuations and thousands of deaths.
As if this tragedy wasn’t enough, we are now presented with The Real Chernobyl—a companion documentary to the critically acclaimed Sky Atlantic/HBO series Chernobyl. This film introduces us to the real people behind the drama, including their heartbreaking first-person accounts of what happened on that fateful day. With these stories comes a greater understanding of the human cost of such a disaster.
In addition to exploring these personal stories, The Real Chernobyl delves further into the aftermath of this tragedy; from how it impacted life for those living in its shadow, to how it was instrumental in bringing down the Soviet Union—as famously stated by Mikhail Gorbachev himself.
This documentary is not only an invaluable tool for understanding just what happened 35 years ago, but also a sobering reminder about our own responsibility when it comes to nuclear energy and its potential consequences. We must watch The Real Chernobyl if we are to truly understand this moment in history so that we may strive for safer solutions moving forward.
