In 1963, a week after the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy, a journalist visits his widow Jacqueline "Jackie" Kennedy for an interview at her home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts regarding her husband's legacy. After Jackie reflects upon her 1962 televised tour of the White House, the journalist turns to inquiries about John F. Kennedy's assassination and its aftermath for Jackie and her family. She talks about events shortly prior to the assassination before describing her shock and horror in reaction.
Members of the White House close to the newly sworn-in president Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife Lady Bird are seen comforting Jackie in the aftermath aboard Air Force One. United States Attorney General and Jackie's brother-in-law, Robert F. Kennedy soon appears and shares her grief, escorting her back to Washington, D.C. Jackie expresses her deep concern for the well-being of her children in adjusting to the loss of their father.
Robert continues to support Jackie while dealing with his sadness and helps her in planning the funeral and looking after the family. She is seen struggling to sleep and becoming reliant on medications and alcohol. She is also seen regularly seeking spiritual counsel from a priest. Robert, along with President Johnson, Lady Bird, and members of the White House, witness the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, the president's suspected killer, by Jack Ruby on live television.
Robert insists that Jackie not be informed of this by anyone but himself; he will tell her when he feels the time is right. However, she finds out about it almost immediately and condemns him for withholding it from her. After John F. Kennedy Jr.'s third birthday, Robert voices his fears to Jackie that her husband's short time as president will not be noted by future generations.
After the state funeral of John F. Kennedy, Jackie tells the priest she contemplated suicide following the assassination. She then admits to remembering what happened during the assassination and feels unbearable pain and guilt that she did not act in some way to protect her husband.
As the interview ends, Jackie makes it clear that she maintains the right to control which parts of the interview may come to press and which parts are to be withheld.
The film concludes with Jackie having her miscarried and stillborn children's coffins being re-interred next to her husband's grave at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
The film's script, written by Noah Oppenheim, was conceived as an HBO miniseries, covering the "four days between John F. Kennedy's assassination and his burial, showing Jackie at both her most vulnerable and her most graceful". Steven Spielberg was originally set to produce the series, but later left the project.
Pablo Larraín, not typically inclined to directing biopics, was initially hesitant to direct Jackie when he was offered the opportunity. He stated that although he did not have any history or knowledge about John F. Kennedy's assassination, he connected with Jacqueline Kennedy. Prior
Reception
Jackie grossed $14 million in the United States and Canada and $22.6 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $36.6 million.
Fox Searchlight opened Jackie in a limited release in five theaters across the United States on December 2, 2016. In Los Angeles, it screened at the Arclight Hollywood and the Landmark West L.A., while in New York City, it played at AMC Lincoln Square, Cinema 1,2,3, and the Landmark Sunshine. It grossed $275,000 during its opening weekend (a per-theater average of $55,000), finishing 20th at the box office.
