Age of The Nerd
It is hard to imagine for as much media coverage as polarizing political figure and two-time presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has received over the years that Hulu’s four-part documentary series “Hillary” was able to jam-pack so much of her personal and political life into just four short hours, however, they certainly managed to cover majority of the bases.
It is hard to name another figure in the worlds of both politics and pop culture who has been both as equally admired and villainized as Hillary Clinton and this documentary series was a refreshing, as it seems for once we may have finally caught a glimpse of the real Hillary…one that is not afraid to share more of her private life and personal motivations.
We can say with certainty that we definitely gained a bit more insight into the life of Hillary Clinton, from Chicago area upbringing to becoming one of the very first women to attend Yale to study law. She was something of a pioneer for her time when much of the women’s rights movement was still in its’ early stages. She lived through all of that turmoil and learned ways to come out ahead. While some call her “untrustworthy” or “misleading”, watching this documentary, expertly directed by Nanette Burstein, a whole new light is shed on areas that perhaps the public may not have completely understood, especially during the time of the 2016 presidential election.
Over the course of the four-part documentary, we are given a behind-the-scenes look at much of Clinton’s political strategy and also learned that oftentimes that did not always completely match up with the ideas put forth by her various political aides, who were also interviews for the series. Clinton did admit that she feels that she is a much better government official than a candidate, which was probably not easy for her in any way. Several journalists were also interviewed for the series and many claims that it was Hillary’s overall demeanor that cost her a certain level of support, however, Clinton fires back claiming that the media was so willing to go overboard with each and every scandal that it actually forced her to become over more guarded, as she was already a rather private person in the first place.
We do get to see some of Clinton’s sense of humor shine over the course of the series, as well as, her hopes and fears. The interviews for the documentary are probably some of the most candid we have seen from Hillary Clinton and many of the behind-the-scenes clips also share glimpses of her more private persona. Her quips about political candidate Bernie Sanders are already generating a buzz, as she says during a clip from the series, “Nobody likes him, nobody wants to work with him”.
We thoroughly enjoyed getting a glimpse into the more personal side of Hillary Clinton, especially learning about her infamous graduation speech at Wellesley College, her early days as the first lady of Arkansas, and how due to her out-of -norm ways cost husband Bill Clinton a second term reelection as governer, however that situation was quickly rectified, as it appeared Hillary learned what she had to do to gain acceptance from those around her without giving up too much of herself. Clinton does go to speak candidly about her time in the White House and her husband’s infamous affair with intern Monica Lewinsky and the humiliation to which she suffered, as well as her current political career.
The documentary shows that Hillary Clinton has always managed to overcome any obstacle placed her way and has never given up the fight for the causes in which she believes in, which she will continue to do her very best to support. “Hillary” breaks through Clinton’s oftentimes icy demeanor and gives us a look at the real person showcasing both the good and the bad alike!
“Hillary” premiered January 25 at the Sundance Film Festival and will debut March 6 on Hulu.
