The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst

Context

Promotional Poster for The Jinx

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst is a documentary that follows the mysteries surrounding the life of an accused murderer Robert Durst. Durst is a wealthy real estate heir who lives in New York City. He is accused of murdering his friend Susan Berman in 2000 and his neighbor Morris Black in 2001. He is also a suspect in the disappearance of his wife Kathleen McCormack, who went missing in 1982 and has yet to be found. The documentary was written by Andrew Jarecki, Marc Smerling, and Zachary Stuart-Pontier. It aired in 2015 on HBO as a six part series. In 2010, Jarecki and Smerling worked on a film called All Good Things. This film is inspired by the life of Robert Durst. Because of his connection to this film, Jarecki was able to interview Durst for The Jinx. The two met on several occasions. Durst is known to not be cooperative with the press, so Jarecki was surprised when he was contacted. Segments of these interview are sprinkled throughout the series. Also included in the documentary are news clips, security camera footage, and reenactments of various events that surround Durst’s accusations. The Jinx won two Emmys in 2015. 

How the Artist Conveys the Meaning

Durst in an interview with Jarecki

One theme that is presented in the series is money in the justice system. The main question is the documentary is “Why has Robert Durst not been convicted of these crimes?” Most people would say that he has not been convicted because he is innocent. However, throughout the documentary, the audience is shown very convincing pieces of evidence. The slogan that can be seen on promotional posters for the series is “Four decades, three murders, and one very rich suspect.” The fact that Robert Durst has a net worth of $100 million says a lot about his case. Durst was able to hire the best lawyers to defend him in court. This brings up the topic of economic equality. If Durst had not had such convincing and high profile lawyers, he would probably not be giving an interview to Andrew Jarecki. He might be in prison. Another theme is that of honesty. In the interviews that Jarecki conducts, he is trying to make Durst contradict himself. He does this on a few occasions. Despite this, he is always very firm in his convictions. A theme that this presents is that the truth can be subjective. While the audience is not sure is Durst is lying, they can see obvious problems with his story.

Why I Find it Beautiful

I find beauty in the unknown. The fact that we as human beings do not know everything that there is to know is very fascinating. What else is there to know that we don’t already? Throughout the series, the audience is constantly wondering is Durst did commit the various crimes. If I could, I would have watched the entire show in one sitting. Each episode just provides more information. In the end, everything is tied together in a very unexpected way. Also, while there are very typical documentary elements (interviews, news clips, etc.), there are very interesting (and sometimes very graphic) reenactments. This element made the series feel like a crime show instead of a non-fiction documentary. There are so many elements that extend beyond the cases. There is family drama and mystery. If you liked Making a Murderer, you will LOVE this series. It is so much more intense and suspenseful. It also portrays the information in a very interesting and creative way. A good way to judge a TV show or really any piece of art is how it affects the viewer. Honestly, I thought about the ending for days. I watched this show about six months ago, but I still occasionally think about it and it still shocks me to this day. If you are looking for a satisfying yet thrilling documentary, The Jinx is definitely the place to start.