This story has it all: a heady cocktail of political thriller, family epic and true crime – a life so filled with drama, glamour, love, politics, power, scandals, sex, drugs & rock ‘n’ roll that is has equal. In this documentary, we examine key phases in Kennedy’s life. We show his most moving, dramatic, and darkest hours – and the times in his life that he ensured to remain hidden. And we contrast the image of the hero presented by the Kennedy family with the aspects of his life that were kept far from the public eye.

John F. Kennedy came from an influential, Irish Catholic family. His father, Joseph P. Kennedy drilled the importance of success into his children: Only winners are true Kennedys. In the early 1950s, John’s political career picked up speed. He was seen as young, dynamic, good-looking, and charismatic – an image that was concealing serious health issues. His private life was also clouded: In public, “Jack and Jackie” were the dream couple. But behind closed doors, there were countless affairs and infidelities.

At the age of 43, John F. Kennedy became the youngest ever President of the USA. Even though he was tougher on organised crime than any of his predecessors, some share of this success was claimed by the Chicago mafia. His greatest test arose from conflict between East and West: The Cuban Missile Crisis put the world on the edge of an atomic abyss. That Kennedy managed to resolve the crisis diplomatically and not militarily was one of his greatest foreign policy successes.

60 years after his death, we provide an informative and entertaining insight into the extraordinary life of John F. Kennedy. With a new, multi-perspective look at the person we go beyond the frequently told and often romanticized view of the politician on whom so many hopes were pinned. Comprehensive film and photo material that the Kennedys have left behind, public speeches and provocative, privately expressed statements by John himself combine with interviews with former acquaintances, international journalists, and historians to make visible the full spectrum of his character.