This film lays out a theory about Chernobyl that, if true, would be highly toxic even to modern diplomatic relations between countries. It is portrayed in a very believable and logical way. In other parts of the film...it depicts the filmmaker doing performance art. Half mad performance art. One wonders....was this spliced in later, once he was "spooked" by whomever threatened him? Is this a way for him to try to avoid repercussions? Remember...what he alleges about the reason why the unsafe nuclear test was conducted does not have to be actually true to cause damage. If enough people are suspicious that Chernobyl had a massive coverup, for whatever reason...then someone was probably not too happy that this film was made. One wonders if the filmmaker, having invested so much time, money, and effort into this production, had to go ahead with releasing it. He could not easily shelf his project. In fact, not releasing it would in and of itself be a "red flag", and point towards legitimacy for his theories. With all this in mind, could it be that he had a last minute plan to discredit himself a bit? Maybe as just a harmless conspiracy nut. Someone trying to be provocative to sell tickets. Possibly a bit weird? And hopefully...not someone that powerful people have to be worried about. However, his idea is now out there, isn't it. No one can "un-ring that bell"!

The film itself is artistically beautiful, eerie and haunting, with an equally beautiful and haunting score. The artist it follows, Fedor Alexandrovich, and his quest to uncover the ultimate reason behind the Chernobyl reactor disaster of 1986 and its possible ties with the Duga radar system (the Russian Woodpecker), are very fun to watch. I am not surprised at all at the awards this documentary has won. I've always wanted to know more about the Duga systems, which is what attracted me to this film. The film itself does not really uncover anything new, other than how massively expensive it was to build the Duga system, but it was still fun to watch the documentary unfold and I was glued to it the entire time.

WARNING: Spoilers in this paragraph
This documentary was definitely thought-provoking, though I think Fedor Alexandrovich is reaching quite far and jumping to a conclusion he made long before he had any real information on the subject. In my opinion, this foregone conclusion of his guides his path in digging up information on the subject and heavily biases his decision-making, compromising his ability to be objective. In reality, the Soviets would not sabotage one of their most expensive and highest-energy output nuclear reactors to cover up the wasted expense of the "failed" Duga early-warning network. The Soviets already notoriously controlled information leaks through fear, back in 1986. They could already do pretty much whatever they wanted with the people's resources with impunity. It would not be worth it to lose an entire high-output nuclear power station (and military city) to add extra cover. Additionally, the documentary did not cover the original Duga (both the prototype and the final build) systems in the southern Ukraine, which were never sabotaged at all. So, I don't believe this conspiracy theory. But the approach the director and his camera man have to getting the information that they are looking for is fun to watch. They manage to get old Soviet loyalists to open up and speak openly with them on camera, something that no one else has ever really accomplished on this subject.

There is quite a bit of information available on the Duga early-warning network, today, but this documentary brought up some ideas and concepts that I had never considered. As far reaching as I think those ideas and concepts are, the film was informative and very engaging and it left me thinking a lot about the subject long after its conclusion. I definitely recommend this documentary, especially to military, Cold War and Soviet buffs, as well as radio enthusiasts.

A wild eyed Ukrainian artist, Fedor Alexandrovich - who as a child survived the 1986 Chernobyl melt down, but has been suffering ill health from its effects ever since - has an interesting theory about the cause of that nuclear catastrophe. The official Soviet line was that it was an accident. But Fedor suspects that the melt down was deliberately caused, ordered by a high level Politburo apparatchik named Shimsin.

What motive could Comrade Shimsin have to do this, you ask? Why, he was the mastermind behind a great radar warning system known as DUGA - designed to detect a NATO missile launch, and nicknamed "the Woodpecker" by Western intelligence and ham radio operators due the syncopated sound of its transmissions. An imminent official investigation was about to reveal that it was in fact ineffective; that the 7 billion rubles spent on the project had been wasted. This naturally would to lead to unfortunate consequences for Shimsin - purportedly his demotion and execution. To prevent it, he ordered a dangerous test be conducted at Chernobyl that he knew would lead to the reactor meltdown, contaminating the area around the nearby DUGA-3 array (along with half of Europe), making the planned official investigation impossible.

The film attempts to make this sensational case by inter-splicing interviews with many engineers, former Soviet officials, and others involved in building and operating the radar, with footage of Fedor and his friends making avant garde art and engaging in street demonstrations during the Euromaidan uprising. Dramatic footage of them participating in the Kiev riots which led to the ousting of the pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych in 2014 book end the narrative, giving it all the proper contemporary political context.

And it's all quite entertaining, to be sure. Many of the elderly characters interviewed are shady, just as you might expect former Soviets would be. Relevant archival materials have apparently gone missing, and a couple of interviewees become very uncomfortable under questioning. All very suspect, quite suspicious.. Unfortunately Shimsin died in 2009 and cannot be interviewed. Fedor hatches a plan to go to Moscow to see - and perhaps piss - on his grave. Fear of the "KGB" (not FSB, note - Fedor believes that the USSR has risen again, and threatens to swallow everyone) keeps him from making the journey..

Just to be clear: I have absolutely no expertise with radar missile detection systems. But during this documentary I kept wondering about the other arrays in the DUGA system - the one contaminated by Chernobyl was the third. That of course means there were two others. One in the Ukraine, another in Siberia. It seems odd that the supposed inefficacy of the system wouldn't have already been clearly proven on the basis of its prior 10 years of operational history (interestingly, they say it began operation on July 4, 1976) or even simply on the continued operation of the remaining two arrays. Nobody in the film explains how making one part of the system inoperable before this supposed imminent invstigation would have prevented exposing Shimsin's incompetence. The innuendo is simply made, and we are meant to accept it.

Okeedokee. I have several Polish friends who are very anti-Russian and pro-Ukrainian. One even went to Kiev to help his Ukrainian cossack brothers make fisticuffs with the riot police during the demonstrations. They all overflow with florid conspiracy theories concerning Russia and world affairs. I mean, I engage in a little conspiracy theorizing myself on occasion - Jack Ruby looks like a mob hitman to me, and I don't think his motive was patriotic outrage, after all.. But the idea that a politburo member ordered a nuclear meltdown to save himself from the gulag - and that his minions followed his orders - strikes me as a quite a stretch, just a little - how to put this? - bonkers.

Not to say that it's impossible - Johnson, Castro, Geo. H.W. Bush, the KGB, Rafael Cruz and David Icke's alien lizards might be behind JFK's assassination, too, what do I know? - it's just that I don't buy it. Extraordinary claims, extraordinary evidence, all that. This film makes an interesting feint at making its case, one that I found amusing; but if I were on Comrade Shimsin's jury and this were all the evidence presented, I'd definitely vote to acquit.