I rarely watch local tv news except for weather, truly notable events or if specifically germane to my life so despite living in NYC during the late 70s to the early 90s, I lived a Robert Durst free life. He finally hit my radar when he kept appearing in my news feed, but I didn’t click and kept scrolling by. Robert Durst finally landed gift wrapped on my doorstep when David Barile asked me, “Do you watch Jinx? Did you see last night’s episode (referring to episode 6)?” I responded no and asked for more details. Once I heard that it was on HBO, I was in.
I treat HBO like Werner Herzog. If Herzog does a documentary on cattle auctioneers, a subject that I have zero interest in, I’m going to watch that documentary. My mom loves true crime stories so we sat down and watched all 6 episodes of The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst in one sitting!
If you’re like me, then you don’t know much about Durst. He is the eldest son in a NY real estate dynasty and suspected, but never convicted of numerous murders, animal and human, and even his family is openly scared of him. He even admits to dismembering and discarding his alleged best friend’s body after killing said best friend in self-defense, and a Texas jury agreed with his account. The head was never found. Totally normal. Riveting! Plus he is clearly and completely gone on first glance even if you met him at the grocery store. If you have good instincts, you would just know to cross the street, but clearly money is a powerful incentive to be friendly. Let’s be honest-Durst gave the filmmaker, Andrew Jarecki, exclusive access because Jarecki cast Ryan Gosling as Durst in All Good Things, a drama made before this documentary, and there is NO parallel universe where they are similar except both have lived in NYC.
People need to stop comparing The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst to Serial, a popular NPR podcast. Even though the narrative is not told linearly, the events are clearly laid out. The filmmakers rarely become the subject of the documentary, and when they do, it is not only relevant, but it is pivotal to the progression of the documentary. A dash of narcissism goes a long way. Like Serial, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst is primarily entertainment, but it also treats those involved with respect, including Durst and especially the victims’ families. Also it helps that the director was familiar with this world instead of posing like an anthropologist and an arbiter of truth. Jarecki is notable for not taking popular sides so if he ends up thinking that you’re a complete psycho, you just may be one.
My favorite parts of The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst are how clearly our attitudes towards women and wealth influence systems. The NYPD detective was either corrupt or negligent in the investigation into the disappearance of Durst’s first wife. Durst lies about an alibi-no big deal. Why are these broads nagging me about this missing dame? If the wife of NYC royalty is missing, and it can’t light a fire under you, either you’re really bad at your job or you have a reason why you’re not doing basic things like canvassing neighborhoods, searching homes or suspecting the spouse. One pivotal witness even died (murdered) before the NYPD could question her. Who has the time in almost two decades? Only the Texas jury beats the NYPD detective at failing spectacularly. If it wasn’t for that darn ambitious FEMALE NY prosecutor harassing poor Durst (about his missing wife), Durst wouldn’t be placed in such an awkward position and forced to accidentally kill and dismember his best friend. Bitch!
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst only failed in one crucial way: not examining Durst’s sexuality. Why does he keep marrying beautiful women that he does not seem to like? In one shot, Durst shares a cigarette with the son of one of his alleged victims. Durst only verbalizes contempt for regular people yet he got chummy with his TX neighbor, the local curmudgeon. He literally takes a page from DePalma and dresses as a woman. (I actually wonder if he disguised himself as his first wife and that is why the doorman thought he saw Kathie Durst.) I feel like every thing addresses sexuality when it is not necessary, but it seems pointedly absent and left to our imaginations in The Jinx. Did The Jinx consciously leave sexuality to implication or was it an error of omission?
I would highly recommend The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst to anyone because both mom and I loved it, and we have VERY different tastes. If you enjoy shows like Unsolved Mysteries or tv movies about serial killers such as Ted Bundy, you need to watch this documentary immediately. I am going to have to prioritize seeing All Good Things.