On a Saturday

After 25 years, the Chernobyl nuclear accident has been brought back to global memory, not least because of the terrible disaster at Fukushima. The drama On a Saturday, which deals with this tragic reactor accident, therefore seems to be coming into the cinemas at just the right moment, as it could be an important contribution to the currently extremely heated discussion about nuclear energy and the safety of reactors. Could - if it were a good film. But that is unfortunately not the case at all.

The Saturday in April 1986 seems to be a normal spring day. The sun is shining, people are enjoying their free time and are happy about the nice weather. What they don't suspect: that morning, a reactor has exploded at the nearby Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Although the situation is becoming increasingly dangerous for the population, the party leadership remains silent. For the loyal party functionary Valerij Kabysh (Anton Shagin) the most difficult hours of his life now begin: on the one hand he knows the truth about the catastrophe, on the other hand he does not want to go against the will of his party. And so he tries without much ado to save himself and his girlfriend Vera (Svetlana Smirnova-Marcinkevich) from the invisible danger. But escape just won't happen, and so Valerij soon finds himself at a good friend's wedding, where he is confronted with his past mistakes in the face of an uncertain future.

The first few minutes of On a Saturday are depressing, suggesting an extremely realistic, oppressive drama. But even here it becomes clear that the viewer is quickly pushed to the limits by the overly shaky handheld camera style. And when Valerij and Vera stumble through the area, run, are jostled, hugged or held by people, always pursued by the restless camera, the important starting point of the story is quickly forgotten.

The argument that blurred images transport the viewer into the middle of the action or consciously oppose mainstream products has not held water for a long time. This style of staging has been completely overused in recent years and only works in a few cases. Here it pushes the viewer away rather than integrating him into the plot. When the story then also gets lost in unnecessarily long musical interludes and unbearable dialogue, the last potential of the subject matter is also completely lost.

May be that director Alexander Mindadze had the best intentions and it is quite recognizable why he shifts the focus away from the disaster to normal life after the first few minutes. But sometimes even the best intentions lead you down the wrong path, and in this case it's just shaky and boring. On a Saturday may sound very interesting, especially in the current political climate, but what viewers get for their money here contributes little more to the important discussion than a pounding headache.

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp