Prime Minister , made by first-time feature director A.J. It’s an engaging look at the leadership narrative of former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern that took home an audience award. The film aims to present her softer side, revealing a leader balancing the demands of governance with the challenges of family life. Ardern cradles a Moses basket while getting her work done. This moment encapsulates her humanity and sets up the most important through line of the documentary.
More than anything, the film celebrates Ardern’s fresh, dynamic approach to leadership. It initiates a much larger discussion of what standards we hold politicians to and how we go about judging them. In “Prime Minister,” she struggles to change how the public sees her. She calls on all of us to remember that politicians are people too, who are capable of making mistakes. This attack comes at a particularly dangerous moment for those in public office. Yet, we ask them to be superhuman, saving the day through serenity in crisis.
During her spectacular but too-short tenure, Ardern guided the country through multiple crises, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent report from a New Zealand royal commission looked at the government’s pandemic response. It found that her judgment call was the right one on public health grounds. The report acknowledged the steps taken by her administration to mitigate the pandemic’s effects but highlighted areas that could have been improved.
One of the more divisive components in Ardern’s pandemic response were mandatory vaccinations to work in certain industries and attend some public events. This was a critical decision to safeguard the public health. It brought about harsh retribution for vaccine refuseniks, forcing 14 million to lose their jobs and subjecting hundreds of thousands to social ostracism. The tough measures featured strict quarantine mandates that prevented all non-citizens from entering New Zealand for almost two full years. These restrictions had profound effects on many disparate communities, like international scholars and families split apart during this period.
The film Prime Minister also allows you to enter into the personal life of Ardern. It serves to illuminate her leadership style during some of the darkest periods in recent memory. Her memoir, “A Different Kind of Power,” further explores her experiences in office and her vision of leadership, emphasizing empathy and understanding in political discourse.
Ardern has openly discussed the violent threats and abuse directed at politicians, underscoring the need for more compassionate public dialogue. Unlike Boris Johnson, who received a forensic critique of his pandemic response from the UK’s public inquiry shortly after the commission’s report, Ardern is unique. Her reputation glows brightly as a by-product. Those results really brought her more inspiring, effective leadership style into focus. The British government’s pandemic response was a failure.
With “Prime Minister” premiering in British cinemas this December, international audiences should get ready to witness first-hand the complexities of Ardern’s leadership. The short film captures her single-minded commitment to making political leaders human again. This simple but powerful message resonates with people in today’s often polarized political climate.