Angela Merkel, the enigmatic first woman Chancellor of Germany, was Western Europe’s most powerful leader for years. Clear-eyed, cool-headed, diligent, and methodical, she put her politics first, setting ideology aside. An East German pastor’s daughter, Merkel re-invented herself after the fall of the Berlin Wall, often outsmarting and outstaying her male opponents in her historic Chancellorship of Germany. Using vast archive materials and interviews with those who know her – friends, journalists, political allies, and critics – the film creates a rich portrait, from Merkel’s upbringing in communist East Germany, studies in quantum chemistry, her surprising start in politics and fast ascent. Merkel’s success came despite the double standards facing women leaders – the hard judgment and incessant scrutiny – and the film makes a case for politics marked by truth and integrity. It is a thoughtful re-examination of her life and career told with humor, subtlety, and poignancy.
