The Consultant - Arthur Finkelstein

2022 • Directed by

Ido Zukerman

Documentary

Although the late Republican Party consultant Arthur J. Finkelstein was little known in his native US, his kingmaking powers had played a major role in the rise of right-wing populism around the world over the last two decades. In 1968, aged just 23, he helped Nixon get elected, and later masterminded the stunning victories of Reagan in 1980, Orbán in 2010 and Netanyahu in 1996, a mere few months after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. Finkelstein’s ability to manipulate public opinion and the media – using it to advance his clients’ careers while zealously protecting his privacy – however, could not stop the leaks about his long term same-sex relationship. Attempting to square Finkelstein’s gay, urban and Jewish identity with the views of the politicians he worked with, this fascinating film sheds light on a life full of mind-boggling, moral contradictions.