felice“Prime Minister” at Sundance
The message of courage and optimism will lift you in this intimate documentary about New Zealand’s former Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.
Sundance in Park City, Utah, is a frenzy. Films are premiered with their directors and producers in the room, usually accompanied by a few key actors. Getting into the premieres is challenging, and we were lucky to score tickets for Prime Minister, the story of New Zealand’s PM Jacinda Ardern, directed by Lindsay Utz and Michelle Walshe.
We arrived sweaty in our long underwear from a quick morning ski for the 11 a.m. lineup, even though the film wouldn’t start until noon. This is the Sundance drill—tickets don’t guarantee that you’ll find seats together. A bonus: meeting film buffs during the wait never disappoints. The 1,200-person, sold-out crowd was buzzing with anticipation. Our star, Jacinda, would be in the room.
My husband and I are Jacinda fans. Two years ago, on a trip to New Zealand, which had been delayed for two years because of their border closings during COVID, she announced her surprise resignation to the shock of the country. We experienced firsthand how beloved she was, yet controversial, but we didn’t know the inside story of her challenges and accomplishments during her tenure.
The film was incredible, and I highly recommend it to everyone. Jacinda’s mantra is kindness, and each of her decisions leads with this. It’s unusual to see that in a politician.
She’s someone who could be a friend—approachable, real, vulnerable, a woman who wears her feelings easily and openly. Her magnetic, toothy smile draws you in, and her laser focus and clear, simple brilliance are easily accessible.
Clark, Jacinda’s husband, filmed some of her most intimate moments. We saw the inside life of his prime ministerial wife from the beginning—when she took over as Labour leader at age 37, just seven weeks after her predecessor stepped down—and found out she was pregnant.
Clark and Jacinda’s relationship was as much a love story based on respect and open, honest communication as it was a partnership in facing the enormous pressure and obstacles of her daily life in the global spotlight.
Jacinda’s six-year tenure was a huge challenge to both her work and life choices as Prime Minister. She faced COVID, a natural volcanic disaster, and a mass shooting at a Christchurch mosque that killed 51 innocent people. Each crisis was met with fresh, organic, and progressive decisions. Although she was the third female PM in New Zealand, she broke ground as the first PM to have a baby and unapologetically bring her little girl to work.
She changed her country in this short time, guided by humanity and optimism with every decision. For instance, in response to the mass shooting at the mosque, she passed a bill to outlaw guns in New Zealand. It looked so easy, and we watched the film with envy, wishing that could happen here and wondering why our weekly shootings never seem to lead to any change.
We watched as she scientifically calculated how to keep her citizens safe from COVID by closing the borders and how the country’s economy, during this isolating hardship, was able to survive.
The room cheered for Jacinda throughout the film; you could feel it. And when it ended, the entire place rose to their feet with a standing ovation.
And then the big moment. Jacinda and her amazing directors took the stage. People had tears in their eyes as she spoke of the courage and importance of active optimism, which she said is a requirement for change.
This call to action was not lost on the Park City crowd.
Here’s a short video I took of Jacinda speaking about optimism.