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Meeting Gorbachev

2018

Werner Herzog, André Singer

Documentary, Self: Mikhail Gorbachev, Werner Herzog, Ronald Reagan ...

6.5

450

Documentary The film paints a portrait of Mikhail Gorbachev, the former President of the Soviet Union who brought about changes to end the Cold War, toppled the USSR, and enabled the reunification of Germany. Herzog and Gorbachev engage in an intense conversation about the past and the winding path of History.

	Author	Review
United States	Stephen Farber The Hollywood Reporter	"[It] is not his most visually striking (since it is composed primarily of talking heads), but it is certainly one of his most pertinent and fascinating."	POS
United States	Jessica Kiang Variety	"We might have hoped for a more sparky encounter, but 'Meeting Gorbachev', though consistently engaging, is less a fireworks display than a fireside chat, and so feels curiously like an opportunity missed."	NEU
United States	David Ehrlich IndieWire	"The film he’s made from their time together is a nostalgic, grateful, and surprisingly tender"	POS
United States	Jordan Ruimy The Playlist	"Thanks to Herzog’s keen eye at having a continuous fluid flow to the story, this is one of the most important documentaries of the year because it still feels fresh and relevant to our times."	POS
United States	Bilge Ebiri Vulture	"We feel that we’re watching two humans reflecting on Earth-shattering historical events, not just an interviewer and his subject trading questions and answers."	POS
United States	Ben Kenigsberg The New York Times	"Herzog shapes the film into a study in how world events often come down to quirks of character and circumstance."	POS
United States	Ann Hornaday The Washington Post	"Gorbachev presents an enormously poignant figure (...) 'Meeting Gorbachev' is valuable on its own terms (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
	Vladan Petkovic Cineuropa	"The highly anticipated portrait of Gorbachev is not Werner Herzog's finest hour (...) Herzog never manages to get real emotion out of his subject"	NEU
United States	Brian Tallerico rogerebert.com	"It’s remarkable how much Herzog is able to turn relatively dry, unrevealing conversations into something that works as well as this does (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Mike D'Angelo AV Club	"Unilluminating (...) A run-of-the-mill biographical portrait with no clear reason to exist"	NEG
United States	Robert Abele Los Angeles Times	"A surprisingly warm, eccentric, inviting inquiry into how a reformer turned enormous political capital into an opportunity to end the Cold War."	POS
Canada	Andrew Parker The Gate	"It’s a fascinating life and career, but 'Meeting Gorbachev' is constantly hinting at a much richer film that never materializes (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 5)"	NEU
United Kingdom	David Hughes Empire	"Herzog and Singer have assembled a riveting and moving portrait of Mikhail Gorbachev (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"[It] fails to address the Putin question (...) It is a bit conceited and stately (...) The film becomes very moving when Gorbachev talks about his late wife (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
United Kingdom	Dan Jolin Time Out	"Thankfully, Herzog’s insight and dry wit elevate the film above mere Wiki-doc. And there is no denying that Gorbachev was a remarkable statesman (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
Ireland	Paddy Kehoe RTÉ	"[Herzog is] a sympathetic, hugely engaged interviewer (...) [A] remarkable film (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
Ireland	Donald Clarke Irish Times	"Ceaseless adulation grates – but it is still a fascinating study of a remarkable life (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	POS

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