The arrival of the latest Peacock documentary “Stormy” has come just in time. In just a few weeks, the trial of former President Donald J. Trump will begin on charges that he concealed payments for 2016 to the porn star generally known as Stormy Daniels. (The trial was originally scheduled to start out in late March, but has now been pushed back until not less than mid-April.)
The documentary uses interviews and observational footage to inform the legal story from Daniels’ perspective. It begins with essential descriptions of her upbringing, introduction to the sex industry, and her 2006 tryst with Trump. “Stormy” then shifts to the period after the story of Daniels’ allegations about her sexual encounter with Trump became public, and traces how sudden fame and madness turned her personal life upside down.
After a lot media coverage, some details of the events seem all too familiar. However, director Sarah Gibson often manages to position the episodes in a fresh context. Take, for instance, the rise and fall of Michael Avenatti, Daniels’ former lawyer who was convicted in 2022 of robbing her: Instead of simply repeating Avenatti’s crimes, Gibson places him amongst a wave of supposed male allies.
These men betray Daniels in ways in which range from annoying to existential. Surprisingly, a few of the footage comes from one other documentary – never released – whose director briefly became involved with Daniels during filming.
“I’m not that special. “I feel like a hypocrite,” Daniels says in one scene, considering her newfound status as a liberal luminary while preparing for a strip club performance. This sentiment raises complex questions about misogyny, female power and sexual agency. “The Tempest” correctly lets these issues fall by the wayside moderately than tying a bow over them.
Stormy
Not rated. Duration: 1 hour 49 minutes. Watch on Pawa.
