The Final Year

Throughout the final year of Barack Obama’s presidency, director Greg Barker follows the key figures behind the administration’s foreign policy: Secretary of State John Kerry, UN Ambassador Samantha Power, advisor and speech writer Ben Rhodes, National Security Advisor Susan Rice, and of course President Obama himself. All are gripped by a sense of urgency, with so little time remaining to translate ideals into practice and make a mark on the big issues, such as Iran, climate change, the refugee crisis, Syria and relations with Russia. With such a packed agenda, there’s barely time for a hasty breakfast at home with the children before dashing to the Oval Office and heading off around the globe—it’s hard work and little glamour. The Final Year intersperses these impressions with brief effusions from team members, who not only witness the politicians’ personal passion, but also their frustrations and the dilemmas they face, particularly when it comes to the choice between diplomacy and the use of force.