You won't be disappointed!

Sorry, this movie sucks

A different way of telling a story

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

"Chernobyl Heart" is a 39-minute documentary film from 2003. The director is Maryann DeLeo and as she won an Academy award for her work here, this is still her most known and most successful work more than a decade later. The title is the perfect summary of this film. It is about the reactor catastrophe in Chernobyl, but not really about what exactly happened back then (this has been elaborated on enough times), but about what things looked like back in 2003 and how the catastrophe still had an impact on so many people's lives. The "heart" in the title refers to heart defects that are still a huge problem for new-born babies because of what the catastrophe did to their mothers and it's the prime example how this explosion he be seen as so much opposing life that it still destroys the health and lives of people who were war from existing when it actually happened. Mostly in the first half, the film also focuses on other transformations to the human body that feel really painful to watch. It is a very sad documentary, but also one where we can learn something that we have to do all we can to avoid such an event in the future because it will have an impact for decades. But it is also somewhat uplifting to see these doctors work so hard for every life despite not having the best working conditions (especially in terms of money) themselves. The fact how relevant this topic is 30 years after it happened is shown by the fact that there are still new documentaries coming out about the Chernobyl Catastrophe these days. You can see them if you really are interested in the subject. This one here is close to a must-see though and the Oscars got it right. Do not miss out. And on a final note: If you want to see a good fictional live action film dealing with this subject, go for the Oscar-nominated short film "The Door" from 2008.

When you think of the Chernobyl disaster, you probably think of blurry 80s footage of the ruined reactor, of guys in gas masks evacuating local residents, or the abandoned "zone of exclusion" around the site.But this film offers another perspective: the horrendous legacy of the radiation cloud -- many times worse than Hiroshima -- that continues to affect the lives of millions of people in the region, especially the semi-hermit kingdom of Belarus.*** SPOILER ALERT ***And of those affected by the radioactive particles, none are suffering more than the children. Soaring levels of birth defects, thyroid cancer and heart defects (the film was named after the nickname given to the heart defects).The filmmakers follow the medical and aid workers as they work with these children. It often seems like trying to build sandcastles against a gargantuan tide, and no one seems to go unaffected. Mental retardation, doomed youngsters, tragic parents, traumatized medical staffers ... at times it seems too much.You'll never see a documentary more emotionally wrenching than this. But it's completely worth it. Well made, without polish or a soundtrack. And the short length was a wise choice ... much more would just make it impossible to watch.Watch this documentary if you get the chance. You won't regret it. And it might just change your life.

To say I was affected by Chernobyl Heart would be putting it mildly. Like many people I imagine, I first viewed Chernobyl Heart on HBO and was reduced to tears at the sight of so many suffering children. It is beyond cliché, however watching children suffer so makes me feel like rubbish for ever complaining about anything in my life. On a positive note, I did begin to involve myself with the Chernobyl Children's Project International, and last Christmas donated money and collected money at my job for their obviously worthwhile cause. Now that I'm back at school, I hope I might continue my work with the organisation. I didn't mean to turn this into a plug for CCPI, however it goes hand in glove with watching such an inspiring film.

I just saw this for the second time and it is a truly haunting film. Only about 45 minutes long, I have watched it on HBO once and then recorded it to show to my husband later. It filled me with such sadness and shock that I just had to share the experience. I had no idea that the effects of the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl in 1986 were so devastating and so long lasting. It seems to be that this whole situation and condition of this area is kept rather under wraps and silent. If everybody knew about these people and their lives now, I would hope more could and would be done to help. If you want to be informed, touched and moved very deeply, please watch this documentary.