Sergio

Greg Barker's HBO-aired documentary focuses on the remarkable career and tragic death of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the Brazilian-born diplomat killed in the 2003 bombing of the Canal Hotel in Baghdad while he was serving as the United Nations' special representative in Iraq. Over the years, the handsome and erudite Vieira de Mello achieved extraordinary diplomatic human rights victories on behalf of the UN, working in places including Bosnia, Peru, Lebanon, Sudan, Cyprus, and Mozambique. Vieira de Mello secured an unprecedented negotiation with Cambodia's infamous Khmer Rouge at their secret military headquarters in the late 1970s, which resulted in the easing of the nation's refugee crisis; but his crowning achievement was guiding war-torn East Timor to independence in 2002. Sergio presents Vieira de Mello as a man who could do no wrong in the professional realm, although the mention of multiple infidelities and absentee fatherhood suggests personal shortcomings. Archival footage is intercut with interviews of friends, colleagues, and rescuers who attempted to extract Vieira de Mello and others buried in the wreckage. Also featuring a special educational version with an extended interview of Vieira de Mello biographer Samantha Power, whose 2008 book Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World formed the basis for the documentary, DVD extras include behind-the-scenes footage and a teachers guide. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)