Savvy politicians know how to ‘perform’ authenticity – the Jacinda Ardern doco offers a masterclass

Savvy politicians know how to ‘perform’ authenticity – the Jacinda Ardern doco offers a masterclass

GettyImages Lynn Grieveson/Newsroom via Getty ImagesThere’s a telling moment in the documentary film Prime Minister when Jacinda Ardern reflects on her rapid rise from Labour leader to prime minister, saying she had “no time to redesign myself […] I could only be myself”. This reference to her “true” self signals a commitment to political authenticity, a thread that runs through the award-winning documentary about Ardern’s remarkable time in off…