All Good Things

***
Release Date: December 3rd 2010

Mr. David Marks was suspected but never tried for killing his wife Katie who disappeared in 1982, but the truth is eventually revealed.  

Director: Andrew Jarecki (Capturing the Friedmans)

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Frank Langella

All Good Things is inspired by the real life events of Robert Durst (Gosling's David Marks). The film spanning almost 30 years shows his link to the disappearance of his wife, Kathleen McCormack (Dunst's Katie Marks) in 1982 in which he was questioned but never charged.

In 2000, Durst was questioned regarding the death of Susan Berman (Deborah Lehrman), a long-time friend of his and journalist. It was understood that Susan had knowledge of the disappearance of Kathleen McCormack. Then in 2003, Durst was trialed and acquitted of the murder of Morris Black, his elderly neighbour. Body parts of Black were found floating in Galveston Bay, Texas. 

This may ring some bells for some of you. Jarecki, who directed All Good Things, didn't change the names of the characters for legal reasons, but 'to explore all the dark corners of the story, the things that are not understood'. Jarecki was nominated for an Oscar for his previous work Capturing the Friedmans... a documentary based on a family accused of child molestation. There's no reason why ALT could not worked as a documentary, but the approach was taken to film it as a 1st person narrative. 

All Good Things delves into the mind of David Marks and his stability, or for a better word, psychosis. It shows how ones mind can differ from another; at one moment malevolent, at others innocent. Marks' relationship with his wife is explored, unwoven and pieced back together with the unimaginable. If a loved one was not in a clear state of mind, would they receive help, or be left alone because of their actions? 

This is a very powerful film. It's morbid and at times hard to watch. This is helped by Jarecki's effort to seek out his own evidence, and not rely other sources, giving it a gritty, hard edged hit on reality.

Gosling and Dunst's performances are at their peaks. Gosling's Marks is undeniably violent, always likely to explode. He often talks to himself, or says nothing at all, drowned in his own thoughts. It's plain for us to see that Marks mental state is decreasing as events unfold. It's sparked by a traumatic experience during his childhood, and aflame whenever he's around his 'loving' father (Langella). Durst's heartbreaking character is blinded by love, being mistreated constantly. It is her best performance yet.

A big chunk of Marks' life is brushed over. Between Katie's disappearance and the shooting of Deborah, nothing happens. Surely there's something big missing. As it skips 18 or so years, so does the momentum and narrative change. We now focus on Marks being questioned about the deaths of his neighbour and friend. Katie is longer in the picture. She might be lost but she will never be forgotten.

Overview: Amazing performances throughout. Good effort from Jarecki, but the film lost it's course at the end. Worth the watch if you are familiar with the history.