I love this movie so much

Too much of everything

Best movie of this year hands down!

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

After two minutes of watching it was clear that the "Russian" woodpecker is worthless propaganda movie about present situation in Ukraine and against the Russian government, not about Chernobyl catastrophe. A surreal story with elements of schizophrenia was mixed with worst kind of propaganda scenes from CNN, VOX and other one-sided channels about "revolution" or the violent coup in Ukraine. The only things worth watching were some mentioned names and terms that could be further investigated. The point about the Chernobyl catastrophe as deliberate act by some Soviet minister to hide Duga radar inefficiency is fictional and does not match the facts. The system operated from July 1976 to December 1989 and had two operational radars, one near Chernobyl and Chernihiv in Ukraine, the other in eastern Siberia. Disabling of access and examination of a just one radar with no less than deliberate nuclear disaster with all consequences to hide malfunctioning of whole system which worked for three years after the catastrophe is delusional.One of the worst and most misleading "documentaries" that I have watched.

Since I filmed Fedor, along with our DP, before and after these controversial scenes, which some have said were "staged Western propaganda," I'd like to put my professional reputation behind the statement that these scenes were NOT staged.*SPOILER ALERT* One thing that became clear to me and the entire team from the beginning was that Fedor was a caged tiger. At times he was very difficult to work with and always restless, but the thing we admired about him was his unrelenting pursuit of his idea — which is why we were surprised when he turned on us and the film. Both Chad and I were there during that tense time, and Fedor was continuously fighting with us and backtracking. He still trusted his close friend and fellow Ukrainian, Artem. So we needed to film Fedor with secret cameras because we could not understand what was happening (at one point Feedor attacked me for bringing out my camera, so we knew something serious was going on). It was not an easy decision, but by using hidden cameras, we were finally able to discover the reason why Fedor no longer wanted to investigate his theory. At that point, we decided to stop filming so that Fedor could feel safe again.Fedor never knew we filmed him with secret cameras or that those scenes existed. Chad eventually told him a few nights before the premiere at Sundance Film Festival, and the screening was the first time Fedor saw this controversial footage. Obviously, we were all nervous by what Fedor might say or do on stage when he saw it. But, he was fine with it since he felt the documentary was an honest and beautifully cinematic telling of his journey.Fedor's theory sounds fantastical and even crazy, but in my opinion the film is more about how an individual can lose his way when a society disintegrates into violence and fear. These controversial scenes gives an important glimpse into just that state of mind. -- Ram Devineni, Co-Producer

This is an excellent movie that takes a journalistic approach to a very important question - was Russia involved somehow in the explosion of Chernobyl. There is no fiction in here at all; it is the truthful account of one man's journey to discover the truth. The director is very objective and follows Fedor, the victim of Chernobyl and the source of the assertions being made. The score of the film is beautiful, the camera work is top notch, and the issues that are raised throughout are of importance for anyone to consider. Gracia is an excellent filmmaker with an eye for sequencing and image that reminds me of a young Orson Welles. Highly recommended.

We have all been told the 1986 Chernobyl disaster was an accident. This movie presents a frightening case that it was no accident. By revisiting the available facts and through multiple interviews, the movie leads us through a maze that eventually points the finger at communist politicians in Moscow. If this incident happened in a vacuum it could be hard to believe. However, if you look at Ukrainian-Russian relations over the past 100 years a pattern develops. In the 1930's a famine orchestrated by Moscow killed millions of Ukrainians. After WWII Moscow orchestrated the execution and exile of many more. Today, we have the instigation and military support of "rebels" in Eastern Ukraine leading to thousands of more deaths. Successive Russian governments have repeatedly shown a callousness to the value of a life, especially a Ukrainian life. Suddenly the case made in this movie follows a shocking but established pattern and provides a warning for all of us.