Overview
- The 90-minute film by Jobst Knigge aired March 9 on Das Erste and is now available in the ARD Mediathek.
- Previously unheard audio from Guido Westerwelle’s 2014–2015 conversations with journalist Dominik Wichmann anchors the narrative, capturing his reflections on vulnerability during leukemia treatment.
- Michael Mronz recounts that doctors uncovered the leukemia after blood tests linked to a meniscus operation in June 2014.
- Interviewees are drawn largely from Westerwelle’s inner circle and FDP ranks, with scant participation from CDU/CSU figures and limited attention to foreign-policy context.
- The documentary revisits his arc from FDP leader to vice-chancellor and the first openly gay German foreign minister, noting his 2016 death from complications following a bone-marrow transplant.