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The catastrophe that occurred on April 25, 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was a tragedy not only for Ukraine, but for the whole world. Thousands of lost lives and distorted destinies. Artistic paintings dedicated to this terrible event clearly demonstrate all the deplorable consequences that someone’s mistake entailed. Among the films on the Chernobyl theme, there are many stories based on real events. There are also paintings with a mystical bias – it is not for nothing that the title of a ghost town has been assigned to Pripyat.
In 2019, the very popular Chernobyl series was released, which is without a doubt the best film product that conveys the atmosphere of the tragedy that happened. Nevertheless, there are still films that tell about that terrible catastrophe at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. We present a list of the best films about Chernobyl similar to this mini-series.
10 Restricted area | year 2012
«restricted area“(2012) – a fantastic thriller about Chernobyl. The story begins with young tourists coming to the city of Pripyat in search of adventure. They found out about the allowed excursions in the radioactive territory and decide to take a walk through the empty streets with a former military man who volunteered to be a tour guide. The heroes still do not know that the abandoned city is fraught with a terrible secret, coming to life under the cover of night.
9. Land of Oblivion | 2011
«oblivion land“(2011) – a film about twisted destinies after the disaster at Chernobyl. The main character of the film, Anna, is preparing for the main celebration of her life – marriage. She still does not suspect that the most solemn day will deprive her of her lover. On the day of the wedding, Anna’s fiancé is called to the service on an urgent matter. The city and the main character are still in the dark that a terrible tragedy has occurred that will break the fate of many. After many years, Anna returns to the exclusion zone, where she lost her closest people, and for this she has her own motives.
8. Aurora | 2006
Drama Oxana Richer «Aurora“(2006) – a feature film about the tragic consequences of the explosion at Chernobyl. Orphanage girl Aurora from a boarding school on the outskirts of the city of Pripyat receives a large dose of radiation after an accident at a nuclear power plant. Only an expensive operation abroad can save the child. The girl is sent to the USA, where she accidentally meets her idol, ballet celebrity Nick Astakhov. The artist is going through hard times in his personal and professional life. Meeting with Aurora becomes a turning point in the fate of the hero. He wishes to help a dying child in the dream of a ballet career.
7. Saturday | 2011
«Saturday“(2011) – a film about Chernobyl, nominated for the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival. The events of the film unfold on the first day after the accident at the nuclear power plant. Valery becomes an unwitting witness to the disaster. He is an employee of the party and, by order of the top leadership, must keep silent about what happened. But what if you know that your relatives and loved ones may suffer? To obey the voice of the heart and warn loved ones about mortal danger or the order of the authorities and keep a terrible secret?
6. Nuclear zone ranger | 1999
Joint work of Russia and Belarus “nuclear zone ranger“(1999) – a feature film about the events that unfolded on the territory of Chernobyl after the accident. The protagonist of the film, the captain of the 2nd rank, nicknamed Badger, returns to his homeland, after many years of service on a nuclear submarine. He decides to take on the protection of the radioactive Chernobyl zone, where criminal transactions are made. Gangster gangs operate there with impunity, trading in timber, equipment and other things contaminated with radiation. Badger, along with his partner, enter into an unequal battle with local crime.
5. Chernobyl: Final warning | 1991
«Chernobyl: Final Warning” (1991) – a film about Chernobyl, based on the book by Robert Peter Gale and Thomas Houser. The documentary tells about the international cooperation of doctors helping Russia to eliminate the consequences of an explosion at a nuclear power plant. The film includes such historical figures as Mikhail Gorbachev and Armand Hammer. The plot of the film is based on the memories of real participants in the tragic event.
4. Third planet | 1991
Soviet film “Third planet“(1991) Alexander Rogozhkin – one of the best pictures about Chernobyl. The protagonist of the film, Anton, is in complete despair: he does not know how to help his daughter, who is suffering from an incurable disease. Treatment abroad did not help and the girl is discharged without any improvement. The father decides to take advantage of the last hope and take the sick child to the “exclusion zone”, where a nuclear disaster happened many years ago. Perhaps only there the surviving people, who are now considered super-healers, will be able to help her.
3. Year of the dog | 1994
The list of the best films about Chernobyl includes the drama “Year of the dog» (1994). This is a story about a former prisoner and a middle-aged woman who were brought together by fate and given a chance to know the joys of love. Already at the age of 14, Sergei Kozhin knew what a prison zone was. Having rewound the term, the main character of the picture gets free. At liberty, he meets Vera Morozova, a deeply unhappy, lonely woman. Mutual sympathy is born between the characters. Sergei once again deviates from the legal path and commits a crime. Vera decides to run away with him from the city. The heroes find themselves in an exclusion zone, where a nuclear accident occurred in the recent past. A place that has become the end for someone, becomes the beginning of a new life for lovers. The film received high marks from film critics as well as the audience and was awarded the Peace Film Award at the Berlin Film Festival. The director of the film, Sergei Aranovich, won the Silver Bear award thanks to this work.
2. Decay | 1990
«Disintegration“(1990) – one of the best feature films about the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. This joint work of Soviet and American cinema was awarded the “Gold Medal of the President of the Senate” at the Venice Film Festival. The protagonist of the film Alexander Zhuravlev returns to his home in Kyiv, unaware of the impending tragedy that will change the fate of many people. The government is trying to carefully hide the extent of the catastrophe from the crowd. But soon people themselves realize that the city was overtaken by an irreparable disaster.
1. Moths | year 2013
«moths“(2013) – the best film about Chernobyl, based on real events. The action of the film takes place against the backdrop of the accident that occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986. The main character of the picture, Alya Shirokova, goes with her sister for the weekend to relatives from Kyiv to Pripyat. Unexpectedly, they become witnesses of an emergency catastrophe. The girls’ father, a helicopter pilot, is involved in the elimination of the accident. He sends a note to Alla through conscript Pavel. The heroine was destined to lose her father and find love on this fateful day.