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The Kennedys' matriarch finally speaks — and her daughter's holding the camera.
TMDB
69
IMDb
79
Rotten Tomatoes
89
Audience Score
81
Watch

Ethel (2012)

intimatepolitical dynasty realnesssurvivor's story

Overview

Documentary

Filmmaker Rory Kennedy interviews her mother, Ethel Kennedy, who discusses family, marriage and politics.

Flag of USUS
Content warning
woman director

Standout Aspects

Direction

Daughter interrogating mother — tension you can't script.

Editing

Archival footage woven like a family scrapbook on fire.

Best for:Solo: Cry quietly on your couch, no witnesses.·Date Night: Only if they're into crying about American tragedy together.
Heads up:Emotional: Multiple assassinations discussed, including RFK's death in detail.
Rory Kennedy

Director

Rory Kennedy

ReleasedJan 20, 2012
Runtime1h 37m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacesteady
Intensitymedium
Tonemixed
Feelheavy
Moxie Firecracker Films

Top Cast

Rory Kennedy

Rory Kennedy

Narrator (voice)

Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro

Self (archive footage)

Walter Cronkite

Walter Cronkite

Self (archive footage)

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

Self

Jacqueline Kennedy

Jacqueline Kennedy

Self (archive footage)

John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy

Self (archive footage)

Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.

Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.

Self (archive footage)

Robert F. Kennedy

Robert F. Kennedy

Self (archive footage)

Ask about Ethel

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Trivia

Rory Kennedy was born six months after her father Robert was assassinated — she literally made a film about the mother she never saw whole.

Insight

Ethel's 11th-hour refusal to discuss JFK's death created the documentary's most haunting absence — Rory couldn't crack the family code even with a camera.

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