THE PEACEMAKER

Padraig O’Malley is an international peacemaker, using his history working with Northern Ireland and his charismatic Irish personality to bring nations in conflict together in a room to work out their differences. THE PEACEMAKER is an intimate portrait of a man who approaches peace on a global scale but can’t quite kill the demons within. As a recovering alcoholic, Padraig battles every day, going to meetings and trying to cope with what he believes to be early Alzheimer’s. Following him over the course of five years, this documentary provides insight into the very public occupation of a man who uses his station as an “escape from utter despair.” His relationships are minimal, even with the young student who considers him to be her adopted father. His life is a teetering balance between traveling the world over to quell conflicts while owning the very Boston bar he used to drink in. Padraig is a man on a constant quest for peace for others but is slowly coming to the realization that he may have the biggest need for reconciliation. —T.W.