"We are now on dangerous ground. Because of our secrets and our lies. They practically define us. When the truth offends us, we lie, lie, until we can no longer remember that the truth exists. But it does exist. Every lie we tell is a debt to the truth. Sooner or later, we must pay that debt." This is how the core of the RBMK reactor exploded. Because of a lie."
© miniseries "Chernobyl"
What is the secret behind the success of the Chernobyl series? Why now? What draws us to it, even though nearly everyone says it’s hard to watch?
Among other reasons, there might be this rather existential one: the time has come. The X-hour. Perhaps now, we are psychologically ready to face this tragedy. We are ready to dig deep into our souls for this horrific story that our parents, unable to comprehend or process it, left for future generations.
Maybe we are that generation.
As for how I perceive films: my brother, a cinephile, always wonders how I watch movies. And I do it in a special way. I might not remember the characters’ names, what they said, or the plot details. But! I distinctly remember the atmosphere, the mood of the film, the subtext. That’s my thing. Especially the aftertaste!
So what did I see in the series? I’m sure you did too, but I just want to draw attention to this. The mood and atmosphere of the series were incredibly strong. A sense of endless doom. Unrelenting stress. Fear, pain, anxiety—all felt on a physical level. This was conveyed through the music, the imagery, the sound of instruments, the expressions on faces, and the colors.
What did we feel: fear, anxiety, a sense of impending doom. And again, this wasn’t an earthquake or even a war—it was a disaster. A particularly heavy one, because, damn it, the cause was invisible. Birds, animals with an instinct for danger, sensed nothing. Birds simply fell dead to the ground. Dogs and cats didn’t run away.
The atmosphere was oppressive. Back then, 33 years ago, all of this was massively concealed. And that made it even worse. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, felt the direct impact of invisible radiation without even realizing it. And that radiation, that danger, seeping into their bodies, seeped into their subconscious as fear and anxiety.
I always thought this disaster was behind us. It faded into the past decades ago. But perhaps it didn’t vanish into the past—it lodged itself in our souls, in our subconscious. In the souls of our parents, in ours, and we will pass it on to our children.
That’s how trauma is transmitted. Until we stop it. Until we close the gestalts by bringing it to the surface, acknowledging it, and experiencing it. A new generation has emerged—one that has distanced itself enough from the immediate tragedy and has the strength and courage to face the black abyss of the reactor.
Didn’t you also watch those frames with bated breath and fear, when the destroyed reactor was shown for just a few seconds? What’s there? What does this disaster look like?!
And I have no doubt this is an incredibly important series. And it’s good that we can watch it together with the whole world. It’s an opportunity to experience what lies buried deep in our souls.
We’ve become so fixated on seeking the truth that we forget how few people actually want us to find it. But it’s always there, whether we see it or not. Whether we choose to or not. The truth doesn’t care about our needs or desires. It doesn’t care about our governments, ideologies, or religions. It will wait. Always.
