CITY 40 (Samira Goetschel, U.S.). 73 minutes. Rating: NNN
Kept secret for decades, the 1957 Kyshtym explosion in the closed city of Ozyorsk, Russia, ranks just behind Fukushima and Chernobyl in terms of nuclear severity. Today, the region remains one of the most contaminated places on Earth, and activist Nadezhda Kutepova fights for the rights of those who still live there.
With blurred talking heads and ominous title cards, it’s not as engaging as other forbidden city travelogues like the Vice Guide To North Korea. But smuggled footage and nuclear espionage keep the surreality of this situation front and centre.