Starring Olga Kurylenko, the Ukrainian Bond Girl

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred in April 1986 in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. The lives of people living happily in Pripyat, a neighboring town just three kilometers away, were suddenly engulfed by the accident. “In the Land of My Fathers,” which portrays their struggle to live on while cherishing their homeland, is now being screened in Japan.

The film is the feature debut of director Myroslava Khodorovska, a promising young female filmmaker. She also wrote the screenplay, based on meticulous research into the experiences of those involved. While numerous documentaries about the Chernobyl disaster have been produced, this is the first feature film to successfully shoot within the exclusion zone, faithfully recreating the conditions at the time of the accident.

The lead role is played by Olga Kurylenko, a Ukrainian actress who gained widespread attention for her role as a Bond girl in “Quantum of Solace.” Kurylenko herself persuaded director Khodorovska, who was hesitant to cast her due to her perceived “excessive beauty,” to take on the role, delivering a performance of intense commitment.

Olga Kurylenko from Ukraine (center right)

The Groom, Called Away Mid-Ceremony, Never to Return

April 26, 1986, in Pripyat, a town neighboring Chernobyl. On a bright spring day, the beautiful bride Anya was celebrating her wedding to the man she loved, singing “A Million Scarlet Roses” as she savored their happiness. Then, the nuclear accident occurred. The groom was called away mid-ceremony, told it was to fight a “forest fire,” and never returned.



Valeriy, Aleksei’s son, raised believing his father was dead, returns to his hometown of Pripyat to search for the father he believes is still alive, walking through the city in search of any trace of his existence.

This film was shot before the Great East Japan Earthquake. However, its themes resonate with the tragedy of Fukushima. The fear of a peaceful, verdant homeland instantly transformed into a city of radiation, and yet, the resilience of people and nature striving to survive within it. What message does this deeply moving drama hold for us living in Japan today?