Marek Šulík’s close and kind portrait of Slovakia’s first female president is a celebration of grace and grit. Ms President is a fly on the wall documentary shown in the “Being Oneself” category at the 20th Doc Edge Festival.
Marek Šulík’s 4th directorial credit, Ms President, begins like a thriller. In the opening sequence, title cards inform the viewer of the horrifying assassination of an investigative journalist whose murder sparked mass outrage in Slovakia. These are followed by a collection of presidential candidates addressed that are familiar to anyone who’s ever seen a televised debate. One candidate calls for the end of the public discussion about LGBTQ+ rights, another vows to keep Slovakia free from immigrants. Finally, we see our heroine, Zuzana Čaputova, in a scene reminiscent of the beginning of Borgen (2010-2022) as Birgitte Christensen is elected by surprise to be the next Danish prime minister.
It is effortless to fall in love with Čaputova, at least in Marek Šulík’s vision and Jana Vlcková’s edit. Čaputova’s features are soft and her movements fluid – a far cry from your typical gruff and stodgy politician. This liberal comes from a background in law and environmentalism and charms with her sensitivity and sensibility. In Ms President she tends to come off like an idealised character rather than a flesh and blood politician. Šulík keeps his lens on Čaputova from the moment the first official figures signal her victory to the farewell chitchat at the end of her term. Šulík’s support and respect of Čaputova are unmistaken and unhidden. Along with showing the key moments of her service, he includes various candid moments that add to the formation of a caring, compassionate personality.
One of these moments is during her visit to warring Ukraine where she tries to go around wearing her bulletproof vest. She is a slightly plump woman and wearing the vest is uncomfortable. Another notable scene is debating her next tasks and having a slice of cake that humanises her simply and effectively. The tenderest moment of Ms President is Čaputova’s meeting and heartfelt hug with the representative of the LGBTQ+ community at the assassination site of two members of their community. It is clearly spontaneous and unexpected and unmistakenly defines her as an tender-hearted role model.
“Zuzana Čaputova has a fascinating ability to stay herself,” Šulík describes. And he indeed delivers a flattering portrayal of an inspiring political figure. It is unclear how much of his documentary is rosy-eyed, but it is certainly not impartial. If anything, Čaputova’s decision not to run for the second term as president helps solidify the director’s vision. As viewers we are left to dream of a world full of Čaputovas, thanks to this warm and watchable depiction of a revolutionary moment in Slovak history.
Doc Edge Festival is celebrating 20 years of “Life Unscripted” from 25 June to 13 July 2025 in Auckland. Revisit our on-site coverage of last year’s edition here.
