Meeting Gorbachev

Aroview: Werner Herzog directs this candid documentary based on three interviews with Mikhail Gorbachev, the eighth and last leader of the Soviet Union.

Now 87 and battling illness, the visionary Mikhail Gorbachev, the former General Secretary of the U.S.S.R, has mellowed and slowed down. Still, gently but resolutely, he is pushing towards his goals. Herzog, as on-screen interviewer, does not disguise his affection, celebrating Gorbachev’s three remarkable accomplishments: negotiations with the U.S. to reduce nuclear weapons; cessation of Soviet control of Eastern Europe and the reunification of Germany; and the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc.

With fascinating ruminations on the often temporary nature of social and political reform, it’s certainly a less energetic outing for Herzog, but no less engaging.

“All thanks to Herzog’s keen eye at having a continuous fluid flow to the story and his subject’s willingness to lay bare in front of an audience, this is one of the most important documentaries of the year” ~ Jordan Ruimy, The Playlist.