Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare (now streaming on HBO Max) debuts 15 years to the day since the world’s second-worst nuclear power plant catastrophe occurred, and to paraphrase one of the documentary’s talking heads, it’s about two disasters: one natural, and one “entirely manmade.” British director James Jones tackles his second nuclear-reactor saga after 2022’s Chernobyl – The Lost Tapes, and the films are similar in their assemblage of real-time footage taken the day of the calamity and during the following incredibly tense days and weeks. And by the very nature of these stories and the manner in which Jones tells them, both docs are gripping and essential.
The Gist: “We were told Japan would cease to exist if we failed.” Those are words of a nuclear technician who likely can’t believe he’s still alive today. Maybe you’re aware of how dire the situation was, maybe
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