I had always heard great things about Totoro, so I was incredibly excited to finally sit down and see what it was all about! I was certainly surprised by the content of the film, as I was really unsure of what to expect, but it’s extremely wholesome nature was something not often found in movies but certainly welcome! It was incredibly heartwarming in it’s messages regarding family and it was visually stunning in its fantastical elements, definitely the perfect film to cap off my final Friday on campus before traveling home. But overall, the film just brought a smile to my face, and that’s really all one can ask for in the middle of a global pandemic and constant change.
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Chernobyl Finale
The final two episodes of the Chernobyl HBO series pointedly addressed ideas of humanity and truth, culminating into an impactful conclusion for the series. Episode 4 carried with it the theme of humanity, highlighting this concept in the subplot of the men tasked with putting down the irradiated stray animals of the exclusion zone. While the subplot was inconsequential to the story as a whole, it added a new dimension or realism through the lens of ordinary people. I was moved by the compassion the three characters had for one another’s shared struggle, which beautifully encapsulated the essence of humanity and the shared struggles we all face.
Alternatively, Episode 5 commented on truth and its need for absolute objectivity. This episode is the ultimate climax of the show, where truth and courage clash with lies and self-preservation. The show takes this opportunity to express the overarching importance of truth and its dissemination, even against the most daunting of odds. Seeing this idea come to fruition was inspiring, and it further embroiled within me a passion for objectivity and truth.
Overall, Chernobyl elegantly told the story of one of modern history’s greatest tragedies, connecting me to the event in a way that allowed me to fully grasp its severity and impact.
Return to Our Planet
The sudden shift in programming this past Friday was a welcomed surprise. While I had been excited to watch Boys State, the break from political subjects was mentally restful. Watching this episode of Our Planet was just as engaging as before, wowing me with the breathtaking cinematography and near impossible to observe animal behavior. I would even go as far as to say that I enjoyed this week’s episode more than the last, as I find the jungle to be a more exotic and mysterious setting.
Contrasting this more interesting content was again the warnings of human impact on the environment, but this episode seemed to paint a bleaker picture than the other episode, likely due to the differing impact the world’s jungles feel in comparison to the world’s forests. But regardless, seeing the impact of humans on the world’s jungles was devastating when combined with depressing narratives of species losing their habitats. This episode was even more impactful than the last in bringing awareness to the issues of climate change and human impact, spelling out more clearly the awful situation that has come about. After seeing this episode, I feel more inclined than ever to pay closer attention to the impact of humans, and to take a harder stance on environmental issues.
Preservation of Nature
Netflix’s Our Planet was visually spectacular, bringing one close to the hidden qualities of nature, all while blending in a powerful and important message about climate change. There was a certain impactful quality to the documentary that was brought about through the coupling of visually stunning aspects of nature, followed by brief, yet concise, imagery of how these wonders are already lost or nearly gone. These moments left me feeling melancholic due to the severity of the issue of climate change and excessive human destruction wrought upon the Earth, but at the same time, seeing these upsetting truths reinvigorated the urgency inside of me to take action. Seeing what we’re losing in nature every day was upsetting and motivational, and it made this documentary extremely impactful in its message and influence.
Aside from the important commentary in this documentary, the actual visuals it was composed of were stunning! All throughout the episode, the shots were so incredibly perfect, it nearly felt staged. And as I continued to reflect, I built a greater and greater respect for the entire team behind the series. The amount of time, effort, and skill required to produce what they did is mind-boggling, and I feel motivated to watch through the rest of the episodes they painstakingly produced.
Chernobyl Ep 3: Aftermath
The overall tone of the third episode in the series was significantly different from its predecessors. This episode did not feel quite as intense as the earlier episodes, nor did it seem like there was as much conflict that needed to be overcome. This episode instead excelled at showcasing the aftermath and long-term repercussions of Chernobyl. One of the most disturbingly well done aspects of this episode was showcasing what happened to many of the faces from the very first episode. It was haunting to see the physical decay of these characters due to their exposure to ionizing radiation, and it accentuated the severity of this disaster. Another interesting aspect of the long-term repercussions that was explored, was the uninhabitability of the area surrounding Chernobyl. An important point of this episode was the struggle to get a proper evacuation zone, and it was consistently mentioned how the surrounding area would effectively be ruined for generations. This reminder of the damage done to the environment reinforced the severity of Chernobyl from a different angle than the aforementioned gruesome imagery, thus crafting a fuller image of the tragedy’s aftermath.
A Handy New Skill
This past Thursday I attended the Introduction to American Sign Language, which I was initially reluctant to attend. I had never formally learned an ounce of sign language, and I was worried it could be difficult to pick up and use. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the language was not only doable for beginners, but it was also incredibly fun to learn! I was particularly enthralled by the concept of certain colloquialisms existing for sign language in various locations, as it really emphasized the fact that ASL is no different than any other language. The language suddenly felt more dynamic and lively, something that from an outside perspective, the language can seem to lack. It was really eye-opening to see what communicating via ASL is really like, and I developed a deeper respect for those who are fluent in it. And now that I have been exposed to some of the basics, I feel inspired to continue learning more in hopes of picking up a handy new skill.
Chernobyl Ep 2: Denial of Denial
I returned to watch the second episode of the HBO series Chernobyl, fully expecting to see further political meddling in public safety. I was instead shocked to see safety being taken seriously and and the word of experts used as guidance. As much as I felt relieved to see government officials taking the advice of experts (something that is still a problem to this day), it became clear that this behavior did not come from a place of genuine care, but instead from one of personal convenience to further selfish goals. It was made abundantly clear that governmental leadership would have preferred to leave the whole situation hushed and move forward with a false perception if possible. The global recognition of the disaster was all that really pushed the government officials to act as they should have initially, seeing as their reputation was at stake. The most depressing realization to come out of watching Chernobyl are the parallels to contemporary events. Still to this day, the lessons from this tragedy are all too readily ignored, and I can’t help but wonder how many more lives could have been spared today, if we listened to the sacrifices of yesterday.
The Road to Grad School
Ever since I picked out my majors, I’ve been dead-set on attending graduate school, and the Grad School 101 Seminar didn’t change that in the slightest. However, after hearing what Zach Grobe had to say about the process as a whole, I’ve been able to better orient myself in the process and I feel far more prepared. Ironically, despite having learned so much more about the process of finding and attending a graduate program, this new knowledge has led me to feeling unprepared in new ways that I never expected. This feeling of having gone two-steps-forward and one-step-back is not the fault of the seminar, but rather, the mysterious nature of the path to graduate school. And despite this seemingly counterproductive result, it’s actually the best possible outcome. As a result of the seminar, I have become acutely aware of what’s ahead, and I can now better prepare myself by taking small, meticulous steps early rather than large, clumsy ones later.
Nuclear-Political Fallout of Chernobyl
Until I watched the first part of the HBO miniseries Chernobyl, I had a surface level understanding of the events that took place during the tragedy. I knew there was a malfunction, an enormous amount of radioactive material released, and a subsequent evacuation. It wasn’t until watching the initial events dramatized that I began to consider Chernobyl’s location inside of the USSR and how that impacted the event as a whole. I was filled with morbid fascination watching USSR leadership downplay the severity of Chernobyl, all while continuing to deny the first-hand reports of workers who practically sacrificed their lives to see what had really happened. It was eerie to see a major tragedy politicized as it could hurt the image of the USSR, but eerier still were the parallels to today. Despite a difference in values between many western countries and the USSR, there is still a shared apprehensiveness towards the findings of experts and scientists, with denial being a common default for leadership. While Chernobyl was a more acute issue that was mishandled, there are certainly plenty of chronic, contemporary challenges we face that are themselves being mishandled still. It certainly begs the question of what the world really learned, if anything, from the tragedy that was Chernobyl.