In 1961, the charismatic Swedish diplomat, economist and implacable idealist Dag Hammarskjöld was in his seventh year as Secretary-General of the United Nations. By some, he was considered the ‘clearest thinker in the room,’ but by others as the victim of a ‘saviour complex’ (Cineuropa).

Torn between his personal life and dedication to global responsibilities, he set out to bring peace to the newly decolonizing Congo, taking on in the process powerful mining entrepreneurs and world powers intent on exploitation. Hammarskjöld’s mission was fraught with danger as he boarded a plane in a desperate attempt to negotiate a ceasefire. 

John. F. Kennedy called Hammarskjöld one of the greatest statesmen of our century and he has remained the benchmark against which later UN Secretaries-General have been judged. Whilst the film is set against a huge geo-political backdrop, it also helps humanize a man acutely aware of his role as a politician. Palace.