Meeting Gorbachev

Idiosyncratic director Werner Herzog’s documentary is built around an extensive interview with Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the USSR (1985-91), offering a decent if somewhat one-dimensional biographical sketch of a man who firmly believed in Communism, yet inadvertently helped bring about the downfall of the Soviet Union. Herzog and the 87-year-old Gorbachev met three times over the course of six months, and the filmmaker splices bits and pieces of those conversations into what is basically a conventional portrait of the ex-Soviet leader’s life, from his childhood up through his education, swift rise in Communist Party circles, and ultimate ascension to the position of General Secretary. Herzog narrates against a backdrop of archival footage and stills, with Gorbachev occasionally interjecting recollections in response to questions. Gorbachev’s comments become somewhat longer as he discusses his tenure through the dismantling of the Soviet Union in 1991—an event that he still remembers ruefully, believing that giving greater autonomy to the member republics could have saved the confederation and its Communist foundation. Herzog lauds Gorbachev for his embrace of reform—namely, his policies of perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness) at home—as well as his refusal to use force to prop up failing Communist regimes in Eastern Europe and his crusade to eliminate nuclear weapons. Whether one agrees with Herzog’s assessment or not, Meeting Gorbachev offers an opportunity to witness the leader explaining himself before the bar of history within the context of a portrait of his career and lonely civilian life afterward. Recommended. (F. Swietek)