In this film, seemingly for the sake of narrative flow, the first controversy is not covered - granted, it could be a feature-length documentary in itself - but the impact of Flynn's kamikaze interview is. You need to be at least hitting 50 to remember the statequake of that autumn. Reliving 34 years ago now feels like you're looking back 150; those too young to remember will probably think the time machine has brought them back 300. Yes, the place really was like this - and Mrs Robinson deserves to be shown in every school in the future.
Whether it's becoming president or any other achievement, Robinson deserves credit throughout this documentary for not going on a victory lap with her recollections - some do much less and wave far more. She also steps up and admits that when it comes to regrets, she has a few. One is that she left the presidency early to take up the UN job in 1997 ("It was a mistake"), another is the naivety of her visit to Dubai's Princess Latifa in 2018. In this life, everyone misses.
As for the biggest shock on screen, brace yourself: Mary Robinson says she is shy - a number of times. Indeed, in her bid to inspire the next generation to put their hands and heads up, that could be Mrs Robinson's most important message: get out of your own way and get out there.
This is a fine addition to what has already been a very good year for Irish cinema, and there will be more on offer in the next couple of months. We've come a long way - on screen and off.
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