Werner Herzog’s greatest films (Aguirre, the Wrath of God, The Mystery of Kaspar Hauser) are wide-eyed explorations of mankind’s inexhaustible wonders. But he’s a peerless documentarian as well and in Meeting Gorbachev he finds his most fascinating subject, arguably the greatest politician of our time. Based on three long interviews and filled with unforgettable archive footage, the riveting documentary (co-directed with André Singer) provides incredible access to the visionary former Secretary General of the USSR. Meeting Gorbachev celebrates his three greatest accomplishments: negotiations with the US to reduce nuclear weapons; cessation of Soviet control of Eastern Europe and the reunification of Germany; and the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc. All this in six years. One German diplomat sums up Mikhail Gorbachev’s approach: “The process went so quickly that ... opponents were overcome by the reality of the situation.”