An extraordinary look into the controversial political career of Imelda Marcos. As the former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos is best known for her opulent lifestyle, but it was her behind-the-scenes influence of her husband's presidency that rocketed her to the global political forefront. A journey through the Marcos family's long history of corruption, extravagance and brutality, this documentary tells a cautionary tale of a powerful female leader whose questio... (Full plot summary below)
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An extraordinary look into the controversial political career of Imelda Marcos. As the former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos is best known for her opulent lifestyle, but it was her behind-the-scenes influence of her husband's presidency that rocketed her to the global political forefront. A journey through the Marcos family's long history of corruption, extravagance and brutality, this documentary tells a cautionary tale of a powerful female leader whose questionable sense of reality divided a nation.
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| The GuardianPeter BradshawLauren Greenfield’s film about the Philippines’ former first lady Imelda Marcos reveals a grotesquely self-pitying, wholly unrepentant and very rich woman. |
| VarietyPeter DebrugeMarcos’ print-the-legend philosophy has particular resonance in a post-truth world, although such sinister undertones sneak up on audiences in a movie that begins, innocently enough, as the latest of Greenfield’s astonishing portraits of wealth run amok. |
| RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoIntercutting interviews with Marcos and her son with archival footage and other experts on the Marcos regime, Greenfield has put together her best film yet. |
| Screen DailyTim GriersonAn enraging portrait of entitlement, opulence and corruption, The Kingmaker starts as a profile of Imelda Marcos but soon widens its perspective to depict a Philippines in peril. |
| The PlaylistChris BarsantiMaybe Marcos imagined this documentary would humanize her. Greenfield did. But not in the way that her subject would have preferred. |
| Washington PostMark JenkinsThe Kingmaker chills the soul by presenting shantytown residents and school kids who extol the Marcos regime and even endorse its eight-year period of martial law. |
| TheWrapElizabeth WeitzmanThough Greenfield is too skilled to overplay her intentions, the picture that emerges gains additional power from its clarifying distance. The Kingmaker is required viewing for anyone concerned about the direction of their own democracy. |
| Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangThe Kingmaker may end on a queasy note of alarm about the Philippines’ future, but it also reminds us that we neglect the past at our peril. |
| The Irish TimesTara BradyA terrifying reminder that those with absolute power don’t make good retirees. |
| IndieWireEric KohnThe Kingmaker clarifies the harrowing situation facing the future of the Philippines, but more than that, it’s a warning sign for the entire world. |
