The inimitable Werner Herzog presents a disarmingly personal conversation with the man who drew back the Iron Curtain, Mikhail Gorbachev.

One of the most visionary politicians of our lifetime, former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev was the architect of the opening Russia to the world. Through three extensive conversations, Herzog and long-time collaborator André Singer discover an 87-year-old statesman and Nobel Prize winner, in waning health, reflective but resolute.

These intimate exchanges are backed by interviews with the major players of the glasnost and perestroika era (including George P Shultz, James A Baker III and Lech Walesa), and illuminating archival footage. Packed with emotion – triumph, hope, regret – Meeting Gorbachev is a unique take on the political documentary. With the life story at its centre, Herzog’s film shares how a headstrong farm boy thawed the Cold War and reshaped the lives of millions.

“Confessional and sincere, Meeting Gorbachev humanizes both its creator and its subject.” – Vulture