The Babushkas of Chernobyl

2015

1h 10m

Documentary

List

100%

5 Reviews

Tomatometer

92%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

Several women return to the exclusion zone after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and reside there for years.

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Premiered Aug 22

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Rent The Babushkas of Chernobyl on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

Andrea Gronvall

Chicago Reader

You'd have to be pretty jaded not to fall for the irrepressible subjects of this stirring documentary.

Apr 21, 2016

Full Review

Amanda Siebert

Georgia Straight

Directed and produced by Holly Morris, this rousing and at times haunting documentary raises the question: what is more deadly-the anguish of being displaced or radiation?

May 4, 2016

Full Review

Ray Pride

Newcity

Holly Morris and Anne Bogart's dearly intimate portrait of these women is, at moments, almost unaccountably moving. There's strength, affection and obstinacy in their perseverance and in their love of a land.

Apr 20, 2016

Full Review

Bob Strauss

Los Angeles Daily News

It's those great grandmas' faces, and their slow but still farming and fishing forms, that will stick with you for a long time.

Jun 19, 2015

Full Review

Charlie Schmidlin

The Playlist

"The Babushkas of Chernobyl" both comments on and cuts through the Area 51-esque nature of the region, providing incredible depth and access to a situation that anybody who's hesitated before leaving an old neighborhood can believe.

Rated: A-

Jun 19, 2015

Full Review

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Audience Member

What a beautiful documentary ! The story revolves around babushkas (I believe it means grandmother in Russian) and their lives post Chernobyl. They're feisty, funny, and don't hold anything back. I was especially drawn to the lady who's in touch with Mother Earth. The way she forages off the land, and leaves food for other creatures. One of the ladies took Moonshine to church to get it blessed, which is probably not allowed. Her response was, "well they allow wine, why not moonshine?" 😂 A joy to watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Such an amazing film/documentary! Good on the babushkas for doing what they would like to to at the age and being at their homes!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

My waiting for this movies was met with the perfect product. A striking film that shows the lives of these amazing women.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

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Audience Member

Excellent film! Emotionally compelling, informative, funny at times, and very entertaining. Amazing insight into a foreign, remote culture.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great emotional story of the amazing women. I learned the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone from a new side.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Went to see this documentary tonight. HAD to see this. It has to be something big, something worthwhile to get me into downtown Chicago at night. Big like a Circus protest, Chicago Bird Collision Monitoring, a trip to a museum, a really good play or This. Definitely This. A documentary like no other I have ever seen before. A real story of real women who only wanted this: Home. So, even though it was forbidden, after Chernobyl, they snuck back in and returned to a place that brings them soft comfort of familiarity. Connectedness with their land. A familiarity so deep and profound that it tethers them to their homeland even in the face of radioactive poisoning. Their communities gone, they are joyful for the company of the film makers as they share their life stories, tell jokes and even sing. These women are pillars. Pillars of strength, determination and endurance. Within them lives a fierce loyalty coupled with a sadness from lack of visitorsthough they mask it well, actually. There is one woman who was a medical professional and worked the emergency room on the day of the disaster. She had developed thyroid cancer and had her thyroid removed. But Oh! You should see her garden! She has plenty of herbs, fruits, all sorts of native, natural remedies growing right there in her yard And she knows how to harvest and use them. At her last medical testing, her levels of radiation exposure were way down. They are resourceful. They are smart. I fell in love with them all and wished at the end of it I could stroll down that forested lane to their meager homes and check-in on them. Give them a smile, a hug, a loaf of bread, some tea and maybe a tin of cookies. With their advanced age, they are akin to a species facing extinction. They have gone home to live. But they have also gone home to die. That is how they want it and that is how it should be. These women showed us that our happiness is intricately entwined with our health and wellbeing. People who were evacuated from their homes that did not return were found to have shortened life spans compared to these women that did return. How about that. Great film. Very, very great.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Anne Bogart

Director

Holly Morris

Director

Mary Mycio

Actor

Holly Morris

Writer

Holly Morris

Producer

Billy Ray

Executive Producer

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Synopsis

Several women return to the exclusion zone after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and reside there for years.

Director: Anne Bogart, Holly Morris
Producer: Billy Ray, Lynn Hays, Jill Mazursky, Nancy Nordhoff
Screenwriter: Holly Morris
Production Co: PowderKeg Studios, Chicken And Egg Pictures, Hedgebrook, Fork Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Ukrainian
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 18, 2017
Runtime: 1h 10m

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