Chernobyl

I can finally breathe, review pasted from my Serializd: One of the most effective horror experiences I’ve ever seen in my life. Some people say that as a joke in relation to this show, naturally since this isn’t labelled as such. But I’m being 100% serious, and that is absolutely the purpose of this series. Everything within the show creates such a strong oppressive and disturbing atmosphere. From the performances, to the cinematography, the editing, the sound design, the makeup and costumes, and to me most importantly, the incredible music by Hildur Guðnadóttir.  Every episode had at least one moment that left me speechless. Others that I couldn’t help but tear up at, especially the ending montage/epilogue. There’s a reason this show is so popular and I think it’s easily deserved. I think it has issues with the dialogue sometimes, either quite blunt or overly dramatic. I think episode 4 stands out as a weak one, with a subplot related to dogs that I found to be pretty weak and cheap emotional manipulation compared to the others. And I think there were some missed opportunities in the style of the show, to experiment more. There’s a moment in the last episode when Legasov stands up where the camera takes a handheld approach where the camera feels as though it’s fainting. I was hoping for much more of stuff like that in the final episode, really pushing the style. If this show didn’t make me feel so much I would rate it slightly lower but I can’t. This is without a doubt one of the most affecting shows I’ve ever seen.