<em>Chappaquiddick</em> Is a Damning Portrayal of a Real-Life Tragedy
The film re-creates the infamous 1969 car crash that Senator Ted Kennedy was in and that ultimately led to his passenger’s death.
The 1969 Chappaquiddick incident—in which the late Senator Ted Kennedy took a late-night drive with his brother’s campaign stafferMary Jo Kopechne, drove off a bridge in Martha’s Vineyard, and fled the crash site without reporting Kopechne’s drowning for 10 hours—is the definition of an abuse of political privilege. Kennedy eventually ended up with a two-month suspended sentence for leaving the scene of an accident. His admission of guilt damaged his presidential aspirations, though he weathered the scrutiny well enough to stay in the Senate for decades, becoming a beloved
