Obama: In pursuit of a more perfect union S01E01: Hard but boring

Young Barack Obama – he was probably called Barry at the time; A clip is also in the movie – sitting deep in thought in the passenger seat of an airplane. He takes a closer look at the pile of papers on his lap. With these narrated photos, documentary filmmaker Peter Kunhart opens his picture for 44^NS THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As an ambitious man, he always seeks ideas. Diligent worker but also someone who is probably very intelligent and also looks at his somewhat choppy manner of speaking; A person whose origin you can not guess at first sight.

This is what Obama is all about: the pursuit of a more perfect union is all about: how Obama thought of himself, despite – or because of – the fact that he had a white mother and a black African father; despite – or because of – the fact that his white grandparents played a large role in his childhood. Kunhardt accurately captures how Obama from an early age had to deal with the stereotypes associated with black and white in the United States. And how he later managed at the university, while pursuing prestigious courses and holding prominent positions.

These are stories many viewers already know, such as that Obama was the first black president of Harvard Law Review when he was a law student. A strange clip from Episode One when Obama goes in search of “spiritual direction” when he arrives in Chicago. It’s almost as if – and he may also be an atheist – to make a political career he has to find the right religion and the priest that fits him. Kunhardt hardly deals with the subject critically, and that’s often the problem with the genre of documentaries, which are mainly meant to honor the main character.

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Despite Kunhardt’s angle, Obama: the pursuit of a more perfect union is sometimes boring. Maybe too accurate – yes, that’s a weak criticism, but still. Kunhardt dries it up. Content takes precedence over form. And this content, which has a total duration of 4.5 hours, may be too much. Maybe a little better would be better.

Obama: In pursuit of a more perfect union, Vanaf September 6, 2021 Bij Ziggo Movies & Series XL