The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015)

If you’d see the man above, you wouldn’t probably notice him. You might think of him as a friendly older man, but as this documentary series show, appearances can be deceiving. His name is Robert Durst and his story is incredible. He’s the son of a successful businessman who owned (and his family still does own) a lot of property in New York. In his youth he saw his mother commit suicide and it possibly is one the moments which would change the rest of his life.

The series opens with a man who was murdered, cut up and found floating in the water. The investigation eventually led to Robert Durst, who at the time was his neighbour. It is not the only murder he seems to be involved in, as his wife mysteriously disappeared (and never found) and one of his best friends was found dead in her house.

The story of Robert Durst was already made into a film, All Good Things (with Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst), directed by Andrew Jarecki. He did a lot of research on Durst and also ended up making this documentary series. After All Good Things was released Jarecki was contacted by Durst, asking if he could tell his side of the story. It meant a chance for Jarecki to interview him and make this program. The old pictures, reenactments, own investigation, interviews with police, prosecutor and next of kin of the deceased result in a fantastic show, which has been edited exquisitely.

Robert Durst is a colorful character as his wealth possibly gives him the feeling he’s able to do anything and seems to be disconnected from reality. This is a man who was caught for stealing a sandwich while he had thousands of dollars of cash in his car or who went to visit his brother with a loaded gun to possibly kill him. During the interviews he’s very interesting to look at. His eyes seem lifeless and the way he blinks is something that stays with you.

Even though his lawyers advised him against taking part in this, you wonder why he decided to do this. Was he really convinced that he would be able to show everyone he was innocent? Did he feel superior and thought he would be able to answer each difficult question he heard? Jarecki’s team has done a lot of investigation, which has resulted in a show which will regularly shock, not only because of the facts, but also because of Durst himself. If you are into true crime series and movie like The Staircase, Paradise Lost or Dear Zachary than this is one of those shows you shouldn’t miss. Especially is you have been following the news about Robert Durst during the past week.

Score: 8