Jason Clarke, center, in Chappaquiddick (Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures)

In 1969, Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy was the last great hope of a fractured, grieving nation. After the tragic deaths of the decade’s most charismatic, idealistic leaders—his brothers John and Robert and the civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X—Kennedy was a symbol of hope, and that was more important than pesky details like his actual character. When he reportedly left a young woman to die off Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, the community and the larger society banded together to protect him. In the interest of the greater good of preserving the Kennedy mystique, a great wrong was done.

The new film Chappaquidick stars Jason Clarke as Ted Kennedy, who is the spitting image of the young congressman. Clarke avoids the tricky pitfall of trying to speak the Kennedy accent, which can easily become cartoonish, and opts instead for a naturalistic, understated approach. Clarke excels at conveying the odd mix of being the most famous, powerful, respected man in the state of Massachusetts, the youngest Senate majority whip in Washington, as well as essentially behaving like an overgrown baby when confronted by his father. His Ted Kennedy feels specific and very much a real person, which is quite an accomplishment for such a larger-than-life, well-known figure.

Following the deaths of his brothers and his father’s debilitating stroke, Ted by 1969 was a haunted, subdued figure, despite his reputation as a playboy. The film picks up with a party on Chappaquiddick Island, where the so-called Boiler Room Girls join Ted and his closest friend, Joe Gargan (Ed Helms). They carry on the decades-long Kennedy tradition of partying on Chappaquiddick every summer despite all being gravely depressed from Robert F. Kennedy’s death the previous year. The Boiler Room Girls were dedicated secretaries for RFK’s presidential campaign, and they remained dedicated to the Kennedy cause.

Mary Jo Kopechne (Kate Mara) was one of the more idealistic of the group, but Robert’s tragic death has her considering retiring from politics altogether. After a night with Ted drinking, stargazing, and talking about his political future, the two are driving back to Martha’s Vineyard, with Ted in the driver’s seat, when he speeds off a bridge, crashing into a shallow pond. As depicted here, he escapes easily, but he leaves Mary Jo to die in the car. During the nine hours that follow, Ted refuses to report the accident until he feels good and ready.

What follows the crash is a subtle and well-constructed portrait of privilege as Ted returns to his luxury hotel on the main island, takes a bath, calls his father, and otherwise gets all his ducks in a row. At no point is there a sense of urgency, and his primary concern is always his own future, his career, and his family’s reputation. Gargan, Ted’s longtime friend and his moral conscience, immediately wants Ted to resign, as he is one of the few people in Ted’s orbit with a clear moral compass. One of the main points of drama is Ted’s ongoing betrayal of Joe, despite his knowledge that Joe is his sole real friend and the only one not completely amoral.

About two thirds of the way through, as Ted sneaks off Martha’s Vineyard and returns to the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Chappaquiddick briefly becomes an extended episode of Veep. His father, Joseph Kennedy, brings in his crack team of political operatives and fixers to spin the story and contain the damage to make sure Ted’s presidential aspirations remain intact. The complete lack of morals and the utter fixation on careerism is right out of the HBO comedy, and the standout player in these scenes is Clancy Brown as Robert McNamara, JFK’s Secretary of Defense and always the smartest, most cutting guy in the room. A great movie could be made entirely on this collection of politicos, but we just get a small taste.

One of the great forgotten ironies of the Chappaquiddick incident is that it took place the same weekend that JFK’s ultimate victory was achieved—Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Ted’s depth of cowardice is juxtaposed with his brother’s heights of heroism; it’s powerful and would be unbelievable if it wasn’t true. A haunting camera shot frames the full moon over the Chappaquiddick Bridge, showing how far short Ted fell from his brother’s legacy.

Despite its provocative themes and its critical portrayal of America’s foremost political family, Chappaquiddick is quite restrained, more a study of manners than a scathing partisan broadside. Still, the Ted Kennedy who emerges from the film is inescapably cowardly. His cowardice was rewarded, though; the people of Massachusetts sent him back to the Senate seven more times, making him one of the longest serving congressmen in American history.