Last week I finished the HBO miniseries Chernobyl and let me tell you, that was a whirlwind of heavy emotions and information.

If you don’t know anything about it, Chernobyl was a nuclear power plant in Ukraine during the Soviet Union era. Just after midnight in April of 1986, the power plan core exploded, killing many that night and within the next weeks and years.

The miniseries starts with the explosion and follows the physical effects of such heavy doses of radiation and the investigation and cleanup afterward. Even though there is only five episodes, I could only watch one episode at a time. The amount of information that has been hidden from the public (and indeed the world) is upsetting and indeed disturbing. While it was indeed an accident, there were many times along the way where it could have been avoided but wasn’t.

I was most sorry for the cleanup crew and their families. The amount of suffering they endured to ensure the world was safe was just horrendous, especially the firemen who didn’t realize the heavy does of radiation they were being exposed to.

I recommend this show to anyone who is interested in true horror, the kind of movies and shows based on real life events. You’ll come away horrified, but more informed.