''Sergio'' is a 2020 American
biographical
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode ha ...
film about the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
diplomat
Sérgio Vieira de Mello
Sérgio Vieira de Mello (; 15 March 1948 – 19 August 2003) was a Brazilian United Nations diplomat who worked on several UN humanitarian and political programs for over 34 years. The Government of Brazil posthumously awarded the Sergio Vieira ...
. The film is directed by
Greg Barker
Greg Barker is an American filmmaker and producer. In 2011, ''The New York Times'' described Barker as “a filmmaker of artistic and political consequence.”
Previous films include '' Sergio'' (short-listed in 2010 for the Academy Award for B ...
, from a screenplay written by
Craig Borten. It stars
Wagner Moura,
Ana de Armas
Ana Celia de Armas Caso (; born 30 April 1988) is a Cuban and Spanish actress. She began her career in Cuba and had a leading role in the romantic drama '' Una rosa de Francia'' (2006). At age 18, she moved to Madrid, Spain, and starred in t ...
,
Garret Dillahunt
Garret Lee Dillahunt (born November 24, 1964) is an American actor. He is best known for his work in television, including the roles Burt Chance on the Fox sitcom '' Raising Hope'', for which he was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television ...
,
Clemens Schick, Will Dalton,
Bradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the NBC television political drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006), for which he ...
and Brían F. O'Byrne.
The film had its world premiere at the
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...
on January 28, 2020. It was released on April 17, 2020, by
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
.
Plot
In 2003, United Nations' Special Representative in Iraq,
Sérgio Vieira de Mello
Sérgio Vieira de Mello (; 15 March 1948 – 19 August 2003) was a Brazilian United Nations diplomat who worked on several UN humanitarian and political programs for over 34 years. The Government of Brazil posthumously awarded the Sergio Vieira ...
, is a victim of a bombing and becomes trapped in the basement of the hotel where he was working in Baghdad.
Three months earlier, Sergio is married but there is no feeling of love in the marriage. Instead, he commits to being with Carolina, his girlfriend and co-worker. Against the advice of Carolina, Sergio decides to go to
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesip ...
after the
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Ba'athist Iraq, Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one mont ...
in order to help Iraqis achieve independence and negotiate the withdrawal of American troops. He comes to a disagreement with American diplomat
Paul Bremer
Lewis Paul Bremer III (born September 30, 1941) is an American diplomat. He led the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States, from May 2003 until June 2004.
Early life and education
Born ...
who opposes his methods despite the pressure from the United States, and fights against the US occupation of Iraq. He even insists on not having US guards at the UN's base camp in order to separate themselves from the U.S. occupiers.
Sergio is killed by a terrorist attack that takes place on the UN base camp. Later, the US pulls out of Iraq leading to a long Civil War, but Sergio's gravely injured colleague Gil survives despite having both legs amputated, and Carolina returns to her justice work in Rio.
Cast
*
Wagner Moura as
Sérgio Vieira de Mello
Sérgio Vieira de Mello (; 15 March 1948 – 19 August 2003) was a Brazilian United Nations diplomat who worked on several UN humanitarian and political programs for over 34 years. The Government of Brazil posthumously awarded the Sergio Vieira ...
, Special Representative of the
UN Secretary-General
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
The role of the secretary-g ...
to Iraq
*
Ana de Armas
Ana Celia de Armas Caso (; born 30 April 1988) is a Cuban and Spanish actress. She began her career in Cuba and had a leading role in the romantic drama '' Una rosa de Francia'' (2006). At age 18, she moved to Madrid, Spain, and starred in t ...
as Carolina Larriera, UN economic consultant and Sérgio's girlfriend
*
Garret Dillahunt
Garret Lee Dillahunt (born November 24, 1964) is an American actor. He is best known for his work in television, including the roles Burt Chance on the Fox sitcom '' Raising Hope'', for which he was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television ...
as Master Sergeant William von Zehle, a
US Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces.
Since July 2020, ...
Civil Affairs soldier
*
Brían F. O'Byrne as
Gil Loescher
Gilburt Damian Loescher (7 March 1945 – 28 April 2020) was an American political scientist.
Early life and education
He was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and was a scholarship basketball player at Saint Mary's College of California.
He ea ...
, Sérgio's deputy and long time associate
* Will Dalton as Sergeant Andre Valentine, a
US Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces.
Since July 2020, ...
combat medic
*
Clemens Schick as Gaby Pichon, Sérgio's bodyguard
*
Bradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the NBC television political drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006), for which he ...
as
Paul Bremer
Lewis Paul Bremer III (born September 30, 1941) is an American diplomat. He led the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States, from May 2003 until June 2004.
Early life and education
Born ...
, Administrator of the
Coalition Provisional Authority
)
, capital = Baghdad
, largest_city = capital
, common_languages = Arabic Kurdish English (''de facto'')
, government_type = Transitional government
, legislature = Iraqi Governing Council
, title_leader = Administrator
, leader1 = ...
in Iraq
* Pedro Hossi as
Xanana Gusmão
José Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmão (; born 20 June 1946) is an East Timorese politician. A former rebel, he was the third President of the independent East Timor, serving from 2002 to 2007. He then became its fourth prime minister, serving from ...
, leader of the East Timorese Independence movement
*
Vithaya Pansringarm
Vithaya Pansringarm ( th, วิทยา ปานศรีงาม, ; born 11 August 1959) is a Thai actor best known for appearing in '' Only God Forgives''. He is also known in Thailand as "Pu Vithaya".
Vithaya graduated in Graphic Design fr ...
as
Abdurrahman Wahid
Abdurrahman Wahid ( ; born Abdurrahman ad-Dakhil; 7 September 1940 – 30 December 2009), though more colloquially known as Gus Dur (), was an Indonesian politician and Islamic religious leader who served as the 4th president of Indonesia, fro ...
,
President of Indonesia
The President of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Presiden Republik Indonesia) is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Indonesia. The president leads the executive branch of the Indonesian government and is ...
* Sahajak Boonthanakit as
Ieng Sary
Ieng Sary ( km, អៀង សារី; 24 October 1925 – 14 March 2013) was a Cambodian politician who was the co-founder and senior member of the Khmer Rouge. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kampuchea le ...
, leader of the
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. ...
* as Mieke Bos, UN Executive Assistant
* Sameera Asir as
Nadia Younes
Nadia Younes ( ar, نادية يونس; June 13, 1946 – August 19, 2003) was an Egyptian national who spent her entire career, for over 33 years, in the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization, rising to high-level posts in a varie ...
, Chief of Staff for Vieira de Mello
Production
In July 2018, it was announced
Wagner Moura,
Ana de Armas
Ana Celia de Armas Caso (; born 30 April 1988) is a Cuban and Spanish actress. She began her career in Cuba and had a leading role in the romantic drama '' Una rosa de Francia'' (2006). At age 18, she moved to Madrid, Spain, and starred in t ...
,
Garret Dillahunt
Garret Lee Dillahunt (born November 24, 1964) is an American actor. He is best known for his work in television, including the roles Burt Chance on the Fox sitcom '' Raising Hope'', for which he was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television ...
,
Brían F. O'Byrne, Will Dalton and
Clemens Schick had joined the cast of the film, with
Greg Barker
Greg Barker is an American filmmaker and producer. In 2011, ''The New York Times'' described Barker as “a filmmaker of artistic and political consequence.”
Previous films include '' Sergio'' (short-listed in 2010 for the Academy Award for B ...
directing from a screenplay by
Craig Borten, with
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
distributing. In October 2018,
Bradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the NBC television political drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006), for which he ...
joined the cast of the film.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as act ...
began in August 2018.
Release
It had its world premiere at the
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...
on January 28, 2020. It was released on April 17, 2020.
Critical response
On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
the film has an approval rating of based on reviews from critics, with an average rating of . The website's critics consensus reads: "While the real-life story that inspired ''Sergio'' is certainly worthy of a biopic, its misguided approach to its noble subject adds up to a disappointingly shallow drama."
On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, the film holds a rating of 55 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
References
External links
*
* {{Netflix title
2020 films
American biographical drama films
2020 biographical drama films
Films directed by Greg Barker
Films scored by Fernando Velázquez
English-language Netflix original films
2020s English-language films
2020s American films