Hillary by Nanette Burstein (review)

Premiering at Sundance in January 2020 and then debuting on Hulu, the documentary film Hillary is a four-hour, four-part chronicle of the life and times of Hillary Rodham Clinton. The project’s genesis lies in 2,000 hours of raw, behind-the-scenes video footage of Clinton’s 2016 campaign that had been intended to ground the story of the election of the first woman to the US Presidency. After Clinton’s heart-wrenching defeat, the parameters of the documentary became less obvious. Enter director Nanette Burstein, who reimagined the project as a longer, more contextualized view of Clinton’s life, both private and public. She convinced Clinton, as well as her husband, daughter, lifelong friends, and colleagues, to sit for hours of incisive, reflective interviews. By adeptly weaving together these new sources, Burstein gives viewers a fresh and intriguing look at one of the most complex figures in American history.

The main title begins with a fast-moving montage of photos of Clinton from baby to today, presented to the tune of “Take Back the Power” by punk band The Interrupters. It is by all measures incredibly effective. Who cannot be fascinated by the changing hairstyles and eyewear, aging features, and yet consistently guarded gaze depicted here? Beyond that, however, the montage drives home the point that we are viewing someone who, more than any other woman in modern political times, has been present in the public arena for most of her life.

The first episode, entitled “The Golden Girl,” mostly covers Clinton’s childhood and college and law school years; her marriage, legal career, and motherhood; and her in, out, and in again experience as the wife of Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton. The next two episodes focus on Clinton’s years as First Lady. “Becoming a Lady” depicts her rather unsuccessful attempt to reformulate that role, particularly through her leadership of the administration’s health care initiative, while “The Hardest Decision” initially highlights Clinton’s pivot to the world stage, as she finds her footing by advocating for women and children particularly in developing countries. The third episode then turns to Clinton administration investigations and scandals, as well as the ensuing impeachment of President Bill Clinton. The final installment, “Be Our Champion, Go Away,” quickly moves through Clinton’s service as a US Senator, 2008 presidential candidate, and Secretary of State, before taking the viewer through the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign.

The documentary necessarily compresses a good deal of the story and deviates somewhat from a chronological retelling, raising the question of whether a viewer not already familiar with either the basic contours of Clinton’s life or political events of the last half-century might come away somewhat confused. That the presentation is not fully linear, however, allows the documentary to accomplish at least two goals. More specifically, the documentary demonstrates how Clinton’s remarkable life experiences, from high school in the early 1960s through her service as President Obama’s Secretary of State in the twenty-first century, were formative for her 2016 candidacy. More generally, Burstein’s use of Clinton’s life as a window into the changing expectations about and opportunities for women in public and political life over the past fifty years highlights both the tremendous advances that have been made and the soul-crushing roadblocks that continue to exist.

To achieve these ends, Burstein takes us below the surface in two ways: through the campaign video footage, which she interweaves with archival material, and, more remarkably, through revealing interview footage that makes viewers privy to Clinton’s (and others’) reflections on her life experiences. Clinton is well-known for being both guarded and deliberate, leaving even admirers to wonder what she is really like. To be sure, the campaign footage allows visitors to see Clinton unscripted; yet the decision to turn over the material was ultimately hers alone. Burstein’s sit-down interviews, particularly with Hillary and Bill, are another matter.

In the era of #MeToo, Bill...