WEINER Trailer

The juvenile humor of a man named Weiner getting caught in a sexting scandal is almost impossible to resist, as you either give in to the giggles or smile at the you-can’t-write-that-shit feel of the situation. For those unaware, this happened in America (twice) to former U.S. congressman Anthony Weiner, who battled back after the first round of scandal to make a run for mayor of New York City. Weiner, this year’s winner of Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize for Documentary, is an up close and personal look at that mayoral campaign, which was rocked by the second round of the scandal.

As with many prominent documentaries, it benefits from a series of circumstances that unfolded in its favor, namely the continuation of the scandal they didn’t know was coming and the incredulous path of America’s ongoing Presidential election at the time of the film’s release. Weiner’s situation is interesting both for the man at its center and as an examination of the media circus that forms around a campaign, and directors Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg hit the jackpot on both.

The level of access given to the project is likely due to Kriegman working for Weiner in the past, which raises concerns that the film will have a slanted point of view. Its co-writer and editor is Eli B. Despres, who had the same credits on the slant-accused documentary Blackfish. Still, nearly all documentaries take some sort of stance; it’s just human nature. As a viewer, this kind of access provides you with candid footage to evaluate as you will. Or maybe you’ll just go to Weiner for a good chuckle.

Weiner is directed by Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg. It will be released in the U.S. on May 20th, 2016 and in the U.K. on July 8th, 2016. Further release dates are not currently known.

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