All Good Things - 2 smiles

When you see a movie based on a true story, you expect some analysis of motives, especially when the story involves crime. In the case of “All Good Things,” starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst, all you’re left with at the end is questions. Was Robert Durst, responsible for his wife’s 1980s disappearance? If so, why did he kill her? Years later, did he really move to Texas and live as a mute woman? Did he manipulate the murder of his old friend Susan Berman, who was killed in 2000 within days of agreeing to an interview about the disappearance? The only crime Durst has been convicted of and done time for is improper disposal of a corpse. You see, Durst (as a female impersonator) developed a friendship with a man and convinced a jury that he killed this man in self-defense.

Director Andrew Jarecki fictionalizes Durst as David Marks (Gosling) and tells his very twisted tale. Unfortunately, Jarecki never delves into why. He hints at the trauma Marks experienced as a child when he witnessed his mother’s suicide. So yes, he’s troubled. But does that explain everything he does as an adult? And sometimes Jarecki goes for melodrama, sometimes suspense, sometimes shock, but he never sustains any of these, leaving his cast’s efforts (and all are very capable), to struggle in an uneven, often flat, context. “All Good Things” would have made a better documentary because as a fictionalized account, it’s unsatisfying. 1/13/11