There is a point where drama is so severe that a film becomes something else entirely. Even as this one maintains a pointedly low-key tone, the first portion of the runtime in particular, a little less than half, is so tragic as to be horrifying as we, the audience, know well the full extent of events that the characters do not. The the remainder, adopting another perspective on Chernobyl, is characterized by a haunting emptiness as it explores life in the shadow of the disaster. Plenty of features and TV shows have been made in, around, or about Pripyat, and I hardly claim to have seen them all, yet this rendition is underhandedly grim with its ruminations on the lasting effects the event beyond the radiation. It's perhaps not the most essential and overall captivating picture on the topic, but 'Land of oblivion' is nonetheless well made and roundly engaging.
It's to the credit of the cast - not least Olga Kurylenko, given the most time on-screen - that they slip so naturally into their roles, illustrating quiet nuance as they each seem to embody that same unspoken wistful sorrow. Actually, it may be the cast that most readily stands out here; inasmuch as the picture follows discrete story threads by way of a few characters, in the grand scheme of things these seem like small garnishes amidst footage that largely shows us the same desolation of the exclusion zone that viewers are already well familiar with from photo and video records. The characters, themes, and narrative beats are generally presented so nonchalantly that they easily get overshadowed by the imagery we know well. My first impulse is to say that this is a sad mark against the feature and its creatives, that its particulars are thusly drowned out. Then again, might this not be a deliberate choice, and ingenious furtherance of the Big Ideas here? After all, while the events of April 1986 continue to have an impact on people in real life, the world at large has moved on - so is it not appropriate for the stories of these fictional characters, specifically the focus of 'Land of oblivion,' to themselves be quietly consigned to... well, "oblivion?" Time waits for no one, and every life that is so important in and of itself will one day be completely forgotten; if this doesn't dovetail horribly into a catastrophe like Chernobyl, of profound human cost, then nothing does.
Putting all this aside - if not perfect, I think this is fantastic. All those details coming to us from behind the scenes are swell, including production design, art direction, effects, costume design, and hair and makeup. I admire Antoine Héberlé's cinematography, and Michale Boganim's direction. Apart from the cast, though, it's the writing that stands out the most. The characters presented to us feel painfully real, not least as they continue to struggle with the ramifications of their connections to Chernobyl beyond the immediate incident. While 'Land of oblivion' comes out swinging in its first forty minutes or so, it continues to dig in its claws more subtly thereafter, with each plot thread carrying its own soft vibrancy that I think resonates more than is at first readily evident. And to that point, all aspects of the screenplay (narrative, characters, dialogue, scene writing) bear a graceful fluidity such that distinguishing one from another is a moot point after a while; disentangling them is fruitless. Maybe more than anything else I think that speaks very well to the strength of the feature.
As a matter of personal preference this won't appeal to everyone, and for as much as I like it, I don't think it really amounts to a must-see in any especial manner. I don't even know that I'd say that it quite matched my expectations. One could him and haw about the details all day long, however, and when all is said and done the fact remains that 'Land of oblivion' is a strong, engrossing drama, defined primarily by its capable cast and writing. If you have the opportunity to watch, this is well worth your time.
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