Sergio
netflix
Sergio, directed by Greg Barker, is the second partnership in 2020 between Narcos alumni, Wagner Moura and breakout Knives Out star, Ana de Armas. This comes after the two played a couple in Olivier Assayas intriguing but underwhelming Wasp Network. While their work here is a more intimate, believable and engaging sentiment, the material overall is marred with a jarring non-cyclical narrative and a fluffy-oriented story that does little to explore the weight of its situation.
Off the bat, two things are clear with Sergio. Firstly, the partnership and dynamic between both Moura and Armas is electric. The passion and story investment between the two, purely on that front alone, suffices here. It is engaging, intriguing, and emotional. The chemistry is undeniable and stands as a testament to how weakly explored the two are in Assayas' feature, to the films and viewers detriment. Secondly, director, Greg Barker is clearly invested in the material and with the real-life titular character. This is evident not only within his filmography and with specific documentaries on Sergio Vieira de Mell himself, but on the character alone within Sergio, and it is a theme that Barker conveys to the audience with passion and love.
However, it is within the films two most clear and engaging aspects that the irony lies. The two elements are so well crafted in their respective results but both conquer the film with adverse effects. Firstly, the dynamic between the two leads is so scintillating, sexy and emotionally engaging, every time the film cuts away or Armas is not present, the film staggers and limps along until the on-screen couple regroup. Granted, this actually helps the fallout of the narrative – which is another issue to be touched upon later – so that the audience is even more invested in the couples’ dynamic and relationship. But again, for the almost two-hour running time, it is an element that affects being immersed regarding the political underbelly and societal issues the film touches on.
The second issue surrounds the passion and love for the material from director, Greg Barker. Aforementioned above, Barkersucceeds with showcasing the titular character with a beloved eye and a mood that ultimately lifts the engagement level. However, on occasion, it is made into a fluff piece of sorts with diamond eyes that never wants to throw in grey areas of Sergio himself, or the war. Before long, watching Jesus Christ himself cinematically reinvented on screen does little for audience engagement and, with such a clean image, there is little material to walk away from aside of praising the real life icon. It is not necessarily the most problematic element to a biopic but one that does little to formulate a discussion or interest to those on a casual watch.
The last issue, and the film’s most frustrating one, is the use of a non-cyclical narrative that is not only emotionally flat but is undeniably jarring. The narrative is a convention in itself. World Trade Centre and Ladder 49 are two examples of a reflective story within the midst of a disaster. On paper, it works, but Barker seems to go an extra foot deeper and craft a non-cyclical story that has already occured. An attribute that bemoans in tremendous excessiveness. The narrative cuts back and forth to a specific horrific moment that is unfolding. It is clearly a device to uncover character depth and emotional engagement, but to double down and dig deeper causes a jarring implementation that feels excessive and unneeded when the narrative ultimately writes itself.
Unnecessary and excessive ultimately defines this feature from Greg Barker who’s film is half of an engaging drama and half of an aggressively clear and innocent depiction of anything and everything. The film offers little in the way of interest aside from Wagner Moura and Ana de Armas. There is a non-existent soundtrack and, once again, NETFLIX's conditioning of over-excessive colour saturation is used. Greg Barker's feature, Sergio is one massively missed opportunity.
