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Review by Ella Kemp Liked

I find it hard to review films like this without entirely being blindsided by the subject matter (=people) speaking directly to you. I don’t know, it’s been a long day/week/month but I burst into tears when they got married; the relief, the release. The fucking shit this woman has had to go through. I see so many of my colleagues, my boss, my mum in her. The responsibilities I have are entirely laughable in comparison to Jacinda but when she speaks about the constant headache and unshakeable weight on her shoulders I kinda feel like it’s impossible to not be moved by this. No need to dress it up with talking heads or pseudo-girlboss manifestos about any kind of trendy way of doing it all. She just did it. Until she realised she could do something different, for herself.

Review by Matt Neglia ★★★ Liked

PRIME MINISTER takes us into to the life of former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her five-year tenure, marked by significant adversity. The film feels especially resonant now, given the glaring contrast to the current leadership we’re dealing with in the U.S. While it may pat itself on the back more often than not, it is nonetheless competently well-crafted, emotionally compelling, and rousing.

Review by James ★★★½ Liked

This film couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Well, maybe a few months earlier might have helped, as one of the audience bemoaned at our Q&A after the film.

But seriously, at a time when it's more tempting than ever to succumb to pessimism and conclude that all politicians are corrupt and self-serving, nothing ever gets accomplished in politics, true progressive change is nothing more than a pipe dream, etc., this documentary arrives as a refreshing and inspiring antidote to that creeping cynicism and despair.

Jacinda Ardern might only be an exception to the rule, but what a bright and exceptional "exception" she is! Through a combination of candid (and often hilarious) home movies filmed by her…

Review by IndieWire ★★★½

A down-to-earth, comionate woman who’s spent her entire life building a career in public service is suddenly thrust into the leadership role of her party after the previous occupant is forced to step aside due to bad polling. Oh, and she only has a few weeks to turn things around before the entire country votes on whether or not they want her to assume the top office in the land. Sound familiar?

With “Prime Minister,” filmmakers Michelle Walshe and Lindsey Utz present a compelling what-if to Americans now dealing with another four years under a ruthless tyrant by showcasing the capable leadership and everyday life of former New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern during her six-year term, as well as where…

Review by maddie 𐚁 Liked

women make great leaders.

Review by Jonathan Buckley ★★★★★

God imagine having a competent and empathetic leader of your country can’t be the US

Review by tarv MK ★★

The problem with every single one of these kind of celebrity documentaries is that even if the person is a great person, that doesn’t translate into a good documentary. 

Jacinda is a great person, and the documentary goes to great lengths to summarize every part of her story we already know. Her positions and words are inspiring in a time of darkness. The problem is the documentary revealed nothing new outside of this interesting analogy Jacinda insists on drawing between herself and a man watching over his crew attempting the impossible of moving a boat across miles of ice. The rest of the documentary is doing nothing except saying “look at this person” and showing us archival footage we can…

4

Exhibit A for why we need more strong, smart women in power positions. Leading with empathy and emotion is a GOOD thing. And New Zealand’s former Prime Minister Jacinda Acern is the real deal. 

Yes, it’s not exactly an unbiased and independent production, filmed mostly by her partner/husband and sympathetic filmmakers. But it’s still a deeply personal, behind-the-scenes look at life in power during some of the most tumultuous times in our world.

Caring for her newborn child while caring for her country is deeply impressive and inspirational. Standing strong and enacting gun control legislation and strict Covid policies to save lives had me longing to move to New Zealand. Until I saw that MAGA wannabes forced her out. It’s a real…

Review by Sarah Stubbs ★★★★

I wish we were led by someone like her.

Review by AloneAwakeAware ★★★★ Liked

How absolutely sad and awful to see how far out into the world Trump’s stupid shit goes. His lack of empathy and stupidity infected other countries and effectively ruined New Zealand. Bums me out.

I would love to have a president like Jacinda Ardern in the U.S., but sadly, we’ll never be so fortunate. We can’t have nice things here 🫠

Review by Paul ★★★★½ Liked

Jacinda, her hot husband, and Ernest Shackleton

Review by Mary Dolan ★★★★ Liked

I really just miss good leadership so fucking bad.