Facing War
Tommy Gulliksen’s documentary is a fitting tribute to Jens Stoltenberg in his final year as Secretary General of Nato.
Image courtesy of Dox Division AS.
The central figure in this documentary by Tommy Gulliksen is Jens Stoltenberg but it does not function as a biopic. For ten years from 2014 to 2024 Stoltenberg was the Secretary General of Nato and, although this film incorporates occasional footage looking back to earlier times in his life, this is essentially a study of how Nato functions. This is shown by covering events in which it has been involved during the last year of his tenure. Indeed, it begins in Washington in the summer of 2023 when President Biden encouraged Stoltenberg to carry on despite recognising the pressure on him and his feeling that he needed to give more time to his family. In the event he did so for one more year. We do see footage from 2005 when we learn something of Stoltenberg’s parents (his father was a Norwegian politician and diplomat and his mother was politically involved too) and from 2011 when he was prime minister for the second time when Oslo and the island of Utøya were the scene of horrifying killings by the terrorist Anders Breitvik. However, in this context that counts as background information establishing Stoltenberg’s character and outlook and the real purpose of Facing War is to show in vivid, intimate detail the workings of Nato in recent times with Stoltenberg at the helm.
Before we see any visuals a number of written statements usefully confirm some basic facts: that Nato with its headquarters in Brussels exists to protect most of North America and Europe, that Ukraine is not a member but that the aim is to counter Putin without leading to a war between Russia and Nato and that the principle of unity at the heart of Nato means that decisions need to be approved by all of its members. This latter point is illustrated here by Turkey’s objection over the application by Sweden to join which required considerable negotiation before leading to Sweden becoming the 32nd member in March 2024. It is the art of negotiation at which Stoltenberg is a master being even-keeled, astute, courteous and, when necessary, forceful. We recognise all that from what we see here not only at major critical moments but in the daily care taken over the wording of any official comments or responses that are made on the part of Nato.
It seems remarkable that Gulliksen was allowed such close access not just to Stoltenberg himself but to discussions between him and his colleagues and to passing encounters at summit meetings (those in Vilnius in 2023 and in Washington in 2024 both feature here). This means, of course, that the observational footage in the film features a huge range of political figures from Erdoğan to Biden, from Macron to Orbán and naturally including Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, the numbers are so high in this respect that when setting out the credits below I have opted in the list of those appearing to concentrate on the actual Nato figures who are seen playing a role here.
Since Jens Stoltenberg is by nature suitably tactful, there may be details that arose when Gulliksen and his cameras were on hand which he will have required to be treated as off-limits for inclusion in the film. But, however that may be, the impression given by Facing War is that we are getting a genuine inside view of how Nato works. One striking example comes late on in the film when Stoltenberg is attempting to set up what he describes as a mission relating to further aid for Ukraine. The stance taken by Viktor Orbán is such that Stoltenberg has to travel to Budapest with talks there leading to an agreement that Hungary will not interfere in this being set up on the understanding that it will not participate in it itself. Not being too combative plays a role on occasions such as this and a degree of discretion can bring results, but Stoltenberg can be forthright too. We find him ready to acknowledge that his declaration that Nato will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes is something he said to keep up morale and could prove to be a promise that will not be kept. A more public example of this occurs when, after Zelenskyy talks of not receiving enough of the ammunition that is vital, he is willing to state in front of the president that Nato has failed him in this.
I understand that Facing War is available not only in the cinema version lasting 105 minutes but also in a much longer format for television where it is presented as a three-part miniseries. However, I would guess that for most viewers this film treatment is the one most likely to satisfy: it is long enough to communicate effectively how Nato works without offering additional material that might be of more interest to specialist viewers than to the general public. While focusing on the work is its prime intent, the film also stands as a fitting tribute to Jens Stoltenberg as a man whose subtle skill in international dealing puts him at the opposite extreme to Donald Trump, diplomacy not it would seem being a word in Trump’s dictionary. Facing War has already won a couple of awards and one feels that Tommy Gulliksen has done a good job. At the very end the tone becomes slightly sentimental and rather more optimistic than is justified, but for the rest this is a welcome insight into how Nato struggles to do the right thing in a world which makes that increasingly difficult.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Featuring Jens Stoltenberg, Stian Jenssen, Ben Norman, Dylan White, Allison Hart, Lorenz Meyer-Minnemann, Krisztián Meszaros, Sissel Kruse Larsen, Matt J.Van Wagenen, Tom Goffus, Oana Lungescu.
Dir Tommy Gulliksen, Pro Anne Marte Blindheim and Danielle Tyrkov Wilson, Screenplay Anne Marte Blindheim and Tommy Gulliksen, Ph Tommy Gulliksen and Øistein Bloch Haukeland, Ed Erik Treimann, Margrete Vinnem and Øistein Bloch Haukeland, Music Röyksopp.
Dox Division/NRK/SVT/Think-Film Impact Production-Dox Division AS.
105 mins. Norway/Iceland/Denmark/Finland/Sweden/Belgium. 2025. UK Rel: 31 October 2025. Cert. 12A.
