| The Final Year | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Greg Barker |
| Produced by | John Battsek Diane Becker Alice Bristow Christopher Buchanan |
| Starring | Barack Obama John Kerry Samantha Power Ben Rhodes Susan Rice |
| Cinematography | Martina Radwan Erich Roland |
| Edited by | Joshua Altman Langdon Page |
| Music by | Philip Sheppard |
| Distributed by | HBO Magnolia Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $262,286[1] |
The Final Year is a 2017 Americandocumentary film directed byGreg Barker. The film is a chronicle of theBarack Obama administration's foreign policy team and the events of Obama's final year in office.[2] WhilePresident Obama features at certain points, the documentary crew mainly followed the activities ofSecretary of State John Kerry,UN Ambassador Samantha Power,National Security Advisor Susan Rice andDeputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes. Although the documentary does not featureDonald Trump, the emphasis among the main players switches as the final year progresses from enacting a foreign policy legacy to taking measures to protect that legacy from being dismantled by the incoming administration.
The film premiered at the2017 Toronto International Film Festival.[3] It was given alimited release on January 19, 2018.[4]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 83% of 105 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "The Final Year uses director Greg Barker's wide-ranging access to take a detailed inside look at the closing months of the Obama administration."[5]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 67 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[6]
Scott Tobias ofVariety wrote that "there's a promotional quality to the documentary that flattens out the political drama."[2]
Oktay Ege Kozak ofPaste wrote, "The truly terrifying part ofThe Final Year, at least as it relates to the current administration, is how concisely and effectively Barker captures the day-to-day mania of a White House that actually has its affairs in order."[7]
