As they drove through California in 1968, Bobby and Ethel Kennedy radiated warmth and cool, a young, hip image far removed from the tumultuous, politically charged era they lived in.

That contrast returns again and again in the new Netflix documentary series Bobby Kennedy for President, which surveys the Democratic presidential nominee’s political and personal development.

Kennedy was assassinated at 42 – shortly after one newscaster said of him, “No American in this century has ever been so likely to be president as Robert Francis Kennedy” – but the series does not emphasize the tragedy.

Instead, the four-parter feels fresh as it ricochets between rarely seen archival footage and interviews with Kennedy contemporaries, who to this day are working to address the civil rights issues the Democrat sought to improve.

Dawn Porter, the director and executive producer, told the Guardian that “it’s not only fair, it’s imperative” to draw comparisons to now.

“We are living at a time when people are questioning not just the actions of the current occupant of the White House, but they are also questioning the institutions: is the presidency that important?” Porter said. “Seeing the history, seeing what so many people have sacrificed to be good leaders, to do their best as leaders – we need to remember that, to remember that the office of the presidency, the national government is bigger than any one individual.”

Even without today’s parallels to the politically charged climate of 1968, the film would have a sense of now because of the film-makers’ stunning archival footage collection. The documentary team poured over 2,000 reels of film and digitized 240 hours of archive footage from news stations and personal collections to create the film.

“You are so afraid you are going to miss something,” Porter said. “And you are going to miss things. There is no way to completely cover this rich period of history but we wanted to give it our best shot.”

Amid depictions of the Democratic party in turmoil and the continued US involvement in Vietnam, the final episode offers a surprise with the questions it raises about the rushed case to prosecute Sirhan Sirhan, who is eventually charged with Kennedy’s murder.

Witnesses to the attack are featured in archive footage and in the present to reiterate their skepticism about the investigation into Kennedy’s assassination and Sirhan’s trial. One of those witnesses is Sandra Serrano, who then and now said a woman in a white polka dot dress shot Kennedy.

“They didn’t want to follow up on anything,” Serrano said in the documentary. “They wanted to wrap it up.”

The film-makers also spoke extensively with Paul Schrade, Kennedy’s friend who was wounded in the shooting. He has spent decades trying to prove Sirhan’s innocence in Kennedy’s murder, but believes Sirhan shot him.

This skepticism could rankle those frustrated by the conspiracies that still shadow John F Kennedy’s assassination, but ultimately the controversy takes a back seat to the legacy Kennedy left behind and the wounds left open by his death.

Juan Romero, who had gone to shake Kennedy’s hand when the senator was shot, speaks in a rare, sobering interview towards the end of the series.

Then a 17-year-old busboy, Romero attracted worldwide fame moments later when he cradled the dying nominee, a moment captured in Bill Eppridge’s famous photo of the assassination at the Ambassador hotel.

Bobby and Ethel Kennedy. Photograph: Nara Archives/REX Shutterstock

Romeo rarely speaks about the incident, which demonstrably pains him to this day. He said in the moment Kennedy was shot “hope seemed to be dying with him. It just felt like nobody was there for us any more.”

From the dozens of Kennedy associates who came forward to speak about the president, 50 years after his death, it’s clear his message resonated well past his death.

“I like to believe the legacy he [Kennedy] has left that is more relevant today, fifty years later, than ever,” said executive producer Laura Michalchyshyn.

Michalchyshyn was born in Canada a year before Kennedy’s assassination. Though her home country had its own glamorous legacy family with the Trudeaus, Michalchyshyn was well aware of the Kennedys. Her surface knowledge did not, however, prepare for the vigorous course in Bobby Kennedy and the 1960s.

“It motivated me to get my American citizenship,” said Michalchyshyn. “The idea of public service, being involved, being part of the democracy. I am a fervent believer now in being a part of the democracy in this country. Working on this project has helped that for sure and motivated a lot of it.”

Porter hopes that with this footage digitized, other film-makers will be able to explore the time period and perhaps create new works. “I don’t think we could ever have too much examination of our political history,” Porter said.



“Kennedy was not an early enthusiastic civil rights advocate but he becomes that. Once that issue took hold of his heart, it didn’t die. We are all the better for that work, for that legacy.”

Bobby Kennedy for President is now available on Netflix

• This article was amended on 4 May 2018 to correct a reference that said Bobby Kennedy was the president.

