Bonnie Anderson
Special to The Morning Star
Monday night at the Arts on Sept. 10 is showing the riveting suspense drama, Chappaquiddick.
This is a film depicting Ted Kennedy’s involvement in the fatal 1969 car accident and the mysterious and scandalous events surrounding that event which claimed the life of a young campaign strategist, Mary Jo Kopechne (Kate Mara) when Kennedy (Jason Clarke) drove his car off the infamous bridge on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts, changing the course of presidential history forever.
Nominated in 2018 for best drama and best screenplay, this is the true account as documented in the inquest from the investigation in 1969. Directors John Curran and writers Andrew Logan and Taylor Allen expose the vast reach of political power and the influence of America’s most celebrated family. The youngest son, Ted Kennedy, is shown as vulnerable, living in the family legacy shadow of his three older, deceased brothers.
The film displays beautifully how power can render some above reproach, with Kennedy not even taking enough time to make amends for causing Kopechne’s death.
Of interest, the extras that play the captain and the deckhands in the ferry scene are captains and deckhands in real life and are dressed to match their ’60s counterparts.
The father and son that discover the car in the water the morning after the accident is true father and son in real life and were chosen from a photo of the father fishing with his son.
Showtimes 5:15 7:45 p.m. presented by the Okanagan Screen Arts Society. A cash wine bar is on site. Enjoy the pre-show intro by resident filmmaker Matt McDowell and live music in the lobby before the early show courtesy of Les Copeland. Advance tickets available at the Towne Cinema box office.
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