The Russian Woodpecker

source: The Russian Woodpecker

The premise of this movie made in a documentary format is intriguing, and it is interesting to watch as the theory about the catastrophe at Chernobyl unfolds. But that's it - interesting theory, no real facts, no reliable sources, no real technical or physical evidence. Not very convincing. The "genius artist", who came up with the whole idea takes away a lot of the credibility with his artistic nonsensical performance as well. So yeah, I'm not convinced.

I am in no way a conspiracy theorist, but I am also in no way familiar with the very disturbing secrets which clearly lie within Russia and its former (and current) annexed nations. This film presents a very harsh, yet realistic possible explanation for why Chernobyl happened. Why a perfectly functioning nuclear plant which fed both the government and the people suddenly melted down catastrophically. Most people have since chalked it up as "just because", as if nuclear reactors sometimes just blow themselves up randomly. Some may be put off by the filmmaker's unabashedly artistic montages of him in rather avantgarde outfits and scenes, in between heart-stopping clips of him climbing the frightfully high towers that projected the Russian Woodpecker signal, and him attempting to wrangle information out of former Soviet officials. This creativity seeps through to make it more than just another cut-and-dry documentary. The filmmaker himself has a deep personal connection with Chernobyl, and expresses that anger in various artful ways.

From the title of his new documentary, you might come to believe that Chad Gracia is an undercover ornithologist skulking about in the former Soviet Union, attempting to discover a new species of woodpecker. Be assured that this is not exactly what his documentary is about— although he has found an "odd bird" in the guise of one Fedor Alexandrovich, a Ukrainian performance artist, who insists he has discovered the cause of the nuclear accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in 1986. Alexandrovich was temporarily separated from his parents as a child after the Chernobyl disaster and placed in a state run orphanage. Back then it was discovered that he had been poisoned by Strontium-90 radiation and still suffers from health problems related to the Chernobyl explosion. Alexandrovich's focus is on the Duga over-the-horizon radio antenna which was designed by the Soviets in 1976 to counter what was perceived as American encroachment in the surveillance sphere during the Cold War. The antenna emitted a chopping sound which was dubbed in the west as "The Russian Woodpecker." Some speculated that this was an attempt on the part of the Soviets at mind control but truth be told, the project was considered a failure (the signal was ineffective due to the effect of the Aurora Borealis and had no deleterious consequences in the U.S.). Alexandrovich goes about interviewing various scientists and aging former Soviet officials (sometimes with a hidden camera) to find out if there was a connection between the Woodpecker and Chernobyl. Of course his interviewees emphatically deny the connection but Alexandrovich, in the spirit of any grand conspiracy theorist here in the U.S., determines that one particular Soviet official (his name escapes me), who was in charge of the Duga radar system, was principally responsible for the Chernobyl disaster. Alexandrovich's accusation comes without a shred of proof and one wonders whether the Soviets would be that stupid to intentionally cause the Chernobyl disaster which would not only eliminate their adversaries but possibly contaminate their own territory due to something as simple as a conglomeration of shifting winds. The Russian Woodpecker contains some fascinating footage of Chernobyl before and after as well as shots of the monstrous Duga. Alexandrovich doesn't really serve his cause well by prancing around in the deserted Chernobyl ghost town dressed like a pixieish Peter Pan. Alexandrovich, a self-styled Ukrainian "patriot", is thankfully no nationalist. His critique of both the former Soviet Union and its current incarnation hit the mark especially when we see how he's forced (at the behest of I believe a former KGB operative) to put in a disclaimer at the beginning of the film, indicating he holds no grudge against Russia (Alexandrovich is accused of "selling out" by a colleague who is unable to sympathize despite Alexandrovich's genuine fear that the KGB or other sinister Russian force might do harm to his young son). Nonetheless, Alexandrovich fails to inject any critiques of his own country Ukraine, notably famous for its long history of anti- semitism (the former president of the Ukrainian Republic, Simon Petlura, is still hailed as a hero in some quarters in the country, despite his links to the atrocious pogroms against the Jews right after World War I). The documentary ends highlighting the Ukrainian rebellion against the pro-Russian president in 2014. The filmmakers make their point about the dangerous resurgence of Russian nationalism. Nonetheless, there are two sides to a story, and the Ukrainians have their share of nationalists who are just as bad as their Russian counterparts. Chad Gracia is best when he chronicles the past utilizing some neat archival footage. Alexandrovich's conspiracy theory remains unproven and this tends to detract from the overall power of the filmmaker's vision.

i saw it after i downloaded it from vimeo.i was very expectant and curious.years before i experienced first hand the inexplicable sound of woodpecker transmissions,i never understood the illogical process that led to the detonation of the chernobyl reactor and could not comprehend the reasons behind such a deep hate as the one between ukraine and Russia. all these were perfectly exposed and explained in this almost perfectly composed cinematic production. a movie in which documantation, action and narration are interwoven and indistinguishable .the hero, following his intuition, manages to connect the dots and give answers where twenty years later an official answer is still missing. the chernobyl catastrophe was not an accident but a crime against humanity and justice must be done. most interestingly, now that the woodpecker transmission can be heard again in our receivers.

I watched this movie at Landmark in SF. The movie is the best documentary that I have seen in years! It is informative, suspenseful, and entertaining. The movie is trying to pin down the cause of the nuclear reactor breach at Chernobyl Nuclear Power station in 1986, which is still the worst technological disaster in human history. The protagonist is investigating the accident despite stonewalling by former officials at great personal risks. The investigation is taking place during the last months of the now deposed Yanukovich's oppressive regime, when Ukraine finally shed away the last remnants of "sovietism." I was always convinced that the Chernobyl accident was a result of an extreme recklessness and total indifference to the value of a human life, so typical of the Soviet regime. After watching the movie, I am not so sure anymore. Something far more sinister and culpable could have been in play. Go watch the movie. You will not regret it!

Ultimately, as documentaries go, this one is not great. The running theme presented is that a Russian Government Official forced Chernobyl to explode, in order to hide the fact that the Duga (Russian Over-The-Horizon Radar) was not working. I think even a casual observer, not understanding the Soviet history would find this claim hard to believe. There are moments in the picture where Fedor (Our guide) is conducting interviews with officials who are essentially denying his claims as preposterous. It then switches to Fedor watching the same interview back on a TV, and he is claiming that the person he is interviewing is squirming in their chair. We don't really see that, he's just telling us what he sees in the interview that he gave. While he watches it. We see nothing of the sort. Except an angry Russian who probably didn't like this kid's weird conspiracy questions. While there are some good interviews where they are talking to people who worked at the Nuclear Power Plant, and they were critical of the institution for ordering the experiments; Fedor, instead of going with this information and expounding on it, to make a better documentary on what happened, he goes on this weird tangent about how it was a planned explosion to hide that the Duga didn't work. Here's the thing... And they don't mention it in the documentary. There were at least two Duga's. One was indeed in the Ukraine at Chernobyl (The receiver anyway), but the other was in the East. The Soviets used this system for almost twenty years. They didn't just get up one day in the middle of 1986 and decide that this would be the time to judge whether the system was worth the money or not. And the idea that the person in charge would try to melt-down the power-plant to hide it is preposterous. Because the commission that is there to check on it, could just go check on the Duga in the East to see how it was working and draw the same conclusions. The administrator would have had to of blown up a nuclear power plant in the East and in the West to hide both Duga's. There may have even been a third - http://www.thelivingmoon.com/45jack_files/03files/Russian_Bases_Wood pecker_Duga_Radar_Ukraine.html The Duga must have been a success, because the Russians are now using "Container" Radar, which is the next generation Over-The- Horizon radar born out of the Duga's history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container_radar So this "Documentary" is less about substance, and more about conspiracy. There are plenty of things the Soviets did wrong, that one doesn't need to invent fiction about it. The truth is always more interesting.

Like no other documentary I've seen. This movie immerses you, not just in the political and cultural forces shaping the Ukraine, but in the mind of one its most eccentric and brilliant inhabitants. Whether you ultimately believe the theory of the Chernobyl disaster that Fedor develops is beside the point. It's about traveling with him as he pieces things together and marveling at the sights along the way. From political upheaval in modern Ukraine, to the intrigue and conspiracies of cold war statecraft, to the bizarre and beautiful patchwork inside Fedor's head. The unique characters and beautiful, surreal images of this film will stay with you for a long while.

I know, it's not a popular review. Today, I had the good fortune to watch this, while there's a referendum going on between the Dutch and Ukraine. This film was part of the pro politics. First of all, understand that Fedor was introduced as either a stranger, not from this world, or a genius (the last, if you're smart apparently). Then he unveils his possible idea of how thing went in the Tjernobyl disaster of 1986. In his theory he links Sovietpolitics with a coordinated nuclear disaster to cover up tracks. This part seems promising at first. With that he caught my interest. But soon you will find yourself wondering that what it lacks, is the search for truth, and to find documents. It's not going to happen. No hard evidence. It's all a bit weak and based on ideas (his idea to be specific). One would say that a lot had been said and written on the matter over the course of 30 years after Tjernobyl.. Then he is concerned that some KGB/FSB service will come and look for him, as soon as he's requesting documents. So....., he doesn't. He's a bit paranoid in this phase. Then the Maidan revolution breaks out, and all of a sudden, he has no problem whatsoever to tell his 'Tjernobyltruth' as a fact.. Because Moscow has been doing this since the beginning of the Soviet Union for some reason. He even relates events in the order of Holodomor (Stalin), Tjernobyl (Gorbatsjov), and finally Maidan (Putin), and summarizes this as 'Moscow behavior'. I would consider this as biased propaganda or a conspiracy theory at best, as there's no backing of his story. It was very disappointing, he should be able to do better.

Artist Fedor Alexandrovich is a force to be reckoned with in this riveting documentary. As a child he was a resident of Chernobyl when the nuclear disaster happened. As an adult in the Ukraine the rising tensions there compel him to go in search of the answers surrounding the events of 1986. This is a must watch; Alexandrovich is a character that will stay with you. Although Chernobyl is a distant memory to most of us in the West for Alexandrovich and countless other people from the former USSR it has left a lasting legacy of not only physical illness but also mental trauma. The recent events in the Ukraine also get a look in and you get to see what occurred from the point of view of those inside.