Raspad

The film begins innocently enough, with late-Soviet charm and friends in the mood for a celebration. Suddenly, the air is full of screaming sirens. The day is April 26, 1986, the scene is Chernobyl, and the reactor has just exploded. While some residents abandon the city and the horrifying syllables “radiation” pass from mouth to mouth, the authorities resort to threats, lies and cover-up. Images from Kiev, preparing for a bicycle race, stand alongside pictures signalling the demise of a city and the collapse of a country. Only gradually do the people begin to grasp what has happened. Among other sources, the celebrated HBO series Chernobyl drew inspiration from this astonishingly critical Perestroika film. (goEast - Festival des mittel- und osteuropäischen Films)