Review: Why HBO’s Chernobyl is the television event of the season
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 26: (L-R) Stellan Skarsgard, Emily Watson, Jared Harris, Craig Mazin, Jessie Buckley and Johan Renck attend Tribeca TV: “Chernobyl” at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival at Spring Studio on April 26, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)
Casting and Acting
Firstly, acknowledgement of the casting department is in order. When compared side-by-side with their real life counterparts, it is hard to imagine any well-known actors who could better portray these historical figures. I cannot think of a performer who did not hold their own on screen, partially thanks to the brilliant directorial choice to not use Soviet accents. This choice never broke immersion, but allowed the actors to live in the language in a more natural way. The performances were imbued, across the board, with a sense of the weight the sky-high stakes demanded. We see the entire spectrum of possible reactions to the reactor malfunction: panicked horror, stout denial, sober evaluation, and blissful ignorance, all expertly conveyed by the actors and director. This, combined with the aforementioned production work, leads to an immersive and ever-present dread that stifles the audience and keeps them glued to the screen.
Particular stand-outs include Jeremy Harris (Legasov), who’s genuine concern and fear is heartbreaking in the face of a system that tries to suppress it. We feel his frustration in a palpable way as we see convincingly depicted and increasingly desperate decisions being made. This was not lost on Stellan Skarsgard (Shcherbina), who’s telephone meltdown will go down in TV history.
Outside of our two leading men, Barry Keoghan’s Pavel echoed our shock and dread at the orders he was given, helping us understand the demoralizing environment where the common folks were forced to clean up this disaster. And as Dyatlov, Paul Ritter was downright throttle-able. His performance as the stubborn director of the test will not leave our memories anytime soon. From the casting to their direction, the consistency of vision led to some remarkable performances.