Sergio Viera de Mello, born in Rio de Janeiro, was a Brazilian diplomat. He has travelled a lot since he was young because his father was also a diplomat. You can feel that his personality is coming through in the new production of Netflix, which also highlights his belief in the future of the UN.
De Mello was one of the biggest diplomats in the United Nations. Some of his greatest acts were the conciliation between Indonesia and East Timor, and he helped emancipate the country in 2002. In 1982, he also mediated the repatriation of 400-thousand Cambodians. In addition, he negotiated an end to the slaughter in Bosnia in the 1990s. But in 2003, the UN base in Bagdad suffered an attack that ended with 22 victims and more than 200 wounded.
The film takes a look at real-life events and shows controversial issues between the U.S. government based in Iraq and De Mello. In addition, his teaching on how the UN should be at that time is an essential part of the production process.
One Director, Two Outlooks
The film’s director Greg Barker also made a documentary named ‘Sergio’ in 2009. Of course, the distinction lies mostly in the inclusion of people who knew De Mello personally as the movie focuses on the past of love. Barker cast Wagner Moura (Narcos) as Sergio Vieira de Mello and Ana de Armas (007 No Time To Die) as Carolina Larriera to represent this relationship.
