Cold Case Hammarskjöld is an enticing and gripping real-life murder mystery that seeks to uncover the truth on the chilling and mysterious death of Dag Hammarskjöld.
The noir documentary Cold Case Hammarskjöld (2019) is a tantalizing tale surrounding the death of Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary-General of the United Nations, in 1961. The film demonstrates a gripping narrative that seeks to uncover whether Hammarskjöld’s death was an accident, and if not, to what extent was his murder politically-motivated. Cold Case is an enticing piece of film, seamlessly blending its documentarian underpinnings with a truly captivating conspiracy.
Former Secretary-General of the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld
The two-hour-long film begins with a superficial description of Hammarskjöld’s death. On a flight to Africa to hold peace talks with revolutionary groups in the Congo, Hammarskjöld’s jet crashed mere miles away from the airport, killing him, his staff, and the plane operators. The cause of the crash remains unclear, with explanations ranging from mere flight malfunction to the KGB. Cold Case, however, underlines one point: Dag Hammarskjöld was facing scrutiny from the colonial powers for his diplomatic work in the Congo. He is the only person to have been awarded a Nobel Peace Prize posthumously (not mentioned in the film).
From here, the story dives deep as director Mads Brügger follows every lead he can find into the plane crash, leading to several conspiracies that he struggles to validate. Eventually, he goes on a tangent, stating his disappointment for having spent six years of field research with private investigator Göran Björkdahl just to come up empty-handed. This occurs, of course, only an hour or so into the film, and the remaining forty-seven minutes prove to be jaw-dropping. By the true end of the film, the viewer feels an icy skepticism about this innocent plane crash.
Director Mads Brügger (first row) sets foot on an investigation that unveils a haunting conspiracy
As a film itself, Brügger’s methodology for crafting a story is unique, mixing narration with shots of him in the field conducting interviews and research. His choice of having the film repeatedly return to a hotel where he discusses the film with his typist gives the viewer a much-needed point of stability, for the film goes to many places and introduces many names. The camerawork is as expected of a field documentary, having intriguing cinematography but the occasional boom mic creeping in at the top of the screen. This mediocrity, however, does not interfere with the captivating nature of the plot – if anything it enhances it by emphasizing the tangible nature of the film: real people are filming real documents about real death. I would be rather skeptical if the cinematic experience wasn’t visually flawed in some way.
Cold Case is a must-watch for any aspiring documentarian or journalist, for Brügger’s drive and relentless investigation, in conjunction with his continuous setbacks, impeccably depict how the pursuit of truth is as insightful as the truth itself.
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