Criminals should only be hated. They have no right to be interesting. Or at least that’s what the opposition to India’s Daughter would have us believe. Flying in the face of such impeccable logic, HBO’s riveting-six part documentary series The Jinx directed by Andrew Jarecki is about a very interesting criminal- Robert Durst. Durst is the displaced heir to one of the biggest property tycoons in Manhattan. A multimillionaire with an estimated fortune of $100 million, he has has long been suspected of murdering three people (his first wife Kathleen, his best friend Susan and his neighbor Morris), but has never been convicted of a single one, thanks mostly due to the best lawyers that money can buy and some laughably shoddy investigation.
Jarecki has been researching Durst for over eight years. He directed the poorly received 2010 film, All Good Things starring Ryan Gosling as Robert Durst. In fact a lot of the material that is used in The Jinx comes from when Jarecki was laying the groundwork for the film. Even though the film itself was not at all memorable, it led to Durst calling Jarecki and saying he wanted to be interviewed to put rumors that have dogged him for three decades.The Jarecki-Durst Q&A starts with Durst’s childhood when he saw his mother committing suicide at age 7 and slowly builds into a chilling portrait of Durst as a charismatic, arrogant, eccentric and maybe mentally disturbed person.
Jarecki makes some questionable aesthetic choices like relying too heavily on over the top reconstructions of key events, but nothing can take away from the voyeuristic high of watching an intelligent criminal tease us with a glimpse into his mind. Jarecki uncovers fresh evidence that implicates Durst and the final episode is a triumph of suspense, the kind that only real life can throw.
The Jinx is a cannily crafted look at an incredible criminal. Binge watching is highly recommended.
Lady Middlebrow 