Here’s hoping history is as kind to Jacinda Ardern as the keystone of her philosophy. Kindness.
Kindness is considered weak by the strong men of politics. Trump, Putin, Netanyahu prefer cruelty to kindness, perceiving kindness akin to passive deficiency, a failing, a flaw, a vulnerability.
In the inspiring and informative documentary, PRIME MINISTER, it’s au contraire to deja vu. Kindness is a strength, compassion a clarion call to decency, inclusion and consideration.
As Adern says,”Optimism isn’t naivety. It’s hope.”
In August 2017, in the lead-up to national elections, Jacinda Ardern unexpectedly became New Zealand’s opposition party leader. She had just turned 37.Two frenetic months later, she was Prime Minister. Just before the final vote was in, she discovered she was pregnant. She would become only the second head of state in history to give birth while in office.
Ardern quickly became one of the most recognizable leaders in the world. She drew global attention from people craving a sensitive and compassionate approach to the critical issues of our time. In private, she struggled with being a mother and proving herself to a public sceptical of women’s leadership.
A series of crises – the Christchurch massacre, pandemic lockdowns, and disinformation-fuelled protests outside Parliament – would test that leadership and the feminine touch she brought to it. She resigned from office in January 2023, shocking her supporters and critics alike.
Going behind the scenes of her administration and her private life, PRIME MINISTER follows Jacinda for five years as she is catapulted to the top of New Zealand politics, becomes a feminist political icon, resigns suddenly from office and continues to champion the fight against isolationism, fear, and the distortion of truth.
Produced by Clarke Gayford, former TV presenter and Ardern’s partner, PRIME MINISTER is built around intimate home videos Gayford filmed from 2017 through to Ardern’s resignation. Hardly unfiltered, yet it remains a powerful portrait of a leader as opposed to a ruler.
More than political figures of the past, Ardern’s role model is polar explorer, Ernest Shackleton, who put the welfare of his crew above his own.
PRIME MINISTER is an equally compelling and inspirational documentary as MRS.ROBINSON, about Mary Robinson, first female president of Ireland.
Neither women are without mistakes but both believe passionately in human rights and social justice. Everybody matters and everybody can make a difference. Just as evidenced by Jacinda Ardern, you can bring a bit of light into the world. Do your best.
