As a politician, you are constantly in the spotlight and every action you take is looked at under a microscope. In such a position you are seen as someone who is an example to others and if you do things in your private life which are outside the norm and these become widely known you’ve got an issue. The media will jump on it and the impact will be huge. That is exactly what Anthony Weiner, a congressman experienced. He was a politician who could be very fierce when defending his points of view. And although he was married he regularly sent explicit pictures of himself to various women. It would eventually lead to him having to leave congress.
Just when that happened directors Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg wanted to make a documentary about him. They contacted the family and received permission to follow them everywhere, just as Weiner is planning a comeback by running for mayor of New York, which results in a fascinating documentary, for different reasons they were thinking.
Kriegman and Steinberg didn’t know in advance that during his campaign there would be new controversy about him again sexting, while they would have complete access behind the scenes. So they manage to capture what this issue does, not only to his campaign team, but also the impact it has on his wife. You see how it hurts her and how, despite those feelings, she has to set it all aside and support him for the campaign. Weiner decides to be open about all of it, but because of the issues he’s not a strong candidate as most people won’t take him seriously anymore. When he gets into an argument in a jewish neighbourhood during his campaign it turns into an even bigger PR nightmare and it is hard to give that a positive spin. Weiner is a documentary which shows that people have their weaknesses and that sometimes it will deeply impact someone when the media finds out and that they will get everything out of that story until the person who’s in the center of it is no longer relevant.
