Sydney Film Festival 2016 - Film Review - Weiner

Anthony Weiner and his wife Huma Abedin face the media - Weiner

Former seven term Congressman, Anthony Weiner's failed campaign to become Mayor of New York in 2013 is the subject of this documentary by Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg. Weiner had infamously been forced to resign from Congress after posting a sexually explicit picture of himself via Twitter. In 2013 he sought to stage a political career comeback but as the documentary filming proceeded, his campaign fell apart as further sexting evidence came to light and Weiner's previous statements were considered by the media to be false and deceptive.

Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin is a long term senior staffer for Hillary Clinton and her calm measured manner, increasingly frustrated with her husband, contrasts strongly with Weiner's often combative public style. Weiner never committed any crime or indictable offence but his greatest mistake was to misrepresent and deny his behaviour to the media and the public. As the media targetted him, often with absurd and bizarre questions, his defence became ever more desperate. In the Democratic primary for Mayor of New York he achieves less than 5% of the vote.

For those with an interest in media management, political campaign documentaries and politics in general, this documentary is a must-see.  The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.