Chernobyl: HBO Mini-series

Photo by: Tim Bindner Photography

I recently began watching an HBO miniseries that I must admit I am mesmerized by.    It is one of my bucket list locations, but I know I will never go there in person.

My friend Mark contacted me one day recently and say have you started watching Chernobyl on HBO?  I had not, but quickly went to my television and began recording this five-part mini-series.  Mark continued that he had found this podcast (but please watch the show before watching this video), containing interviews and conversations with the writer of the show and I also found the podcast fascinating.  The show first aired on May 6^th, 2019 (episode one).  I have since learned that this is one of the highest-rated series on HBO, even as high as Game of Thrones.

The show is a type of documentary series with many famous actors including Emily Watson, Jared Harris, and Stellan Skarsgard.  It has received rave reviews by critics, but anyone who knows me knows I could care less about that.  If I like the show/movie/music, etc. I care less about what anyone thinks.  I like what I like. The show is a depiction of the real-life events that happened at Chernobyl in 1986, and what I have researched and read it is pretty accurate to the accounts of what happened.

(Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

So why do I enjoy the show?  First, there is the obvious story.  It is horrific and sad, but I am fascinated by not only how the government denied the incident (similar to what is going on now in our country), but also the bravery of the workers, doctors, firemen, nurses (they were not playing cards), and even the citizens of nearby Pripyat acted, behaved and followed orders during this “roof fire”.  Next, there is the mood and feel of the show.  Most shows and movies have dramatic music to heighten the audience’s anticipation, this show has some music but it is very subtle and probably not noticed by most (except this music lover).  The music is just faint enough to enhance the show but not over-bearing.  I will soon be getting this soundtrack.

Another huge aspect for me in this series is the use of coloring.  As many of you know I rarely shoot in color, but when I do the colors, and tones are muted.  This series has the perfect color for my liking.  Even the blue skies in the first episodes are lacking the sheer brightness that most people perceive a sky to look like.  For me, the colors are a palette of a more neutral, real-world, pastel color.  Truly subtle and detailed yet so very real, just like this series.

The mood and flow of the show are also very refreshing to me.  In this fast-food, action-filled, glorified culture, this story ebbs and flows through the character’s interactions, and development yet packs much of the intensity through your imagination.  Though there are some gruesome parts (it is radiation after all), it is not over glorified like 99.9% of horror movies these days, and there is purposeful respect to tell the story from the viewpoint of the characters the actors are portraying.  There is little to no CGI, the clothing is authentic (as described in the podcast), the accounts are taking from tons of research and actual accounts for people who lived through it, and they even filmed in a city within the region that strongly resembles Pripyat.  For obvious reasons, they could not film a bustling city in actual Pripyat due to the radiation and the decay of its current state, and the fact that nature has taken over what is left of the remaining city.  This is a show for the thinkers and observers of this world.  Not those that are spoon-fed like so many other programs do these days.

Since I began watching this series I have also found on the BBC network a single episode called Our World: In the Shadow of Chernobyl and one episode of Mysteries of the Abandoned where they also did a story on Chernobyl.  Both fascinating in their own right.

So why do I want to visit such a place?  The people of this city had to pick-up and go on a moment’s notice due to the disaster.  They were told they would be gone on a few days.  Many of the clothes, furniture, pictures, and everyday household items are still there today.  Nature, as mentioned and as you can see in the shots provided, has taken over.  For me, the desire is about the photo opportunities I would have before me.  Walking down roads now covered in the grass through the cracks in the concrete, buildings with windows missing, yet still having chairs within view of the missing windows providing views out over the rotting city, and the iconic Ferris wheel still sitting in the middle of the park with faded yellow paint and rusty iron barely keeping it erect.

The images I have listed here are not my own (except for the header).  They are found on various sites via Google, but I attached them to give some perspective as to why I want to go there.  The power plant did some major damage, imagine what me and my camera could do here.

I imagine most of you will not watch the show, and even if you do you will not get out of it what I have.  It is history, and the writer of the show did a wonderful job portraying it.  If you do sit down and watch the 5 part series, do so without distractions, to get the true feel and power of the show.  I hope you take the time to invest in this series.  For me, it is well worth the 5+ hours I spent watching it.

Until next time,

Tim