Sergio (2020 film)


Sergio is a 2020 American biographical drama film about the United Nations diplomat Sérgio Vieira de Mello. The film is directed by Greg Barker, from a screenplay written by Craig Borten. It stars Wagner Moura, Ana de Armas, Garret Dillahunt, Clemens Schick, Will Dalton, Bradley Whitford and Brían F. O'Byrne.
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2020. It was released on April 17, 2020, by Netflix.

Plot

In 2003, United Nations' Special Representative in Iraq, Sérgio Vieira de Mello, 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. And so, he commits to being with Carolina. Against the advice of his girlfriend and co-worker Carolina, Sergio decides to go to Baghdad after the 2003 invasion of Iraq in order to help Iraqis achieve independence and negotiate the withdrawal of American troops. He comes to a disagreement with American diplomat Paul Bremer who opposes his methods despite the pressure from the United States, and fights against the U.S. occupation of Iraq. He even insists on not having U.S. 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 U.S. 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

In July 2018, it was announced Wagner Moura, Ana de Armas, Garret Dillahunt, Brían F. O'Byrne, Will Dalton and Clemens Schick had joined the cast of the film, with Greg Barker directing from a screenplay by Craig Borten, with Netflix distributing. In October 2018, Bradley Whitford joined the cast of the film.
Principal photography began in August 2018.

Release

It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2020. It was released on April 17, 2020.

Critical reception

Sergio holds a 45% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 19 reviews, with a weighted average of 5.55/10. 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, the film holds a rating of 53 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".