The Jinx (TV Show)
The Jinx: the Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (Directed by Andrew Jarecki)/2015
This show is amazing throughout, but what happens in the last episode will make it a timeless classic. Unfortunately, as this is a review and you may not have seen the show, I cannot tell you what happens. And don't under any circumstances read about Robert Durst on the internet before watching the show!
The Jinx is a documentary miniseries that was made and released by HBO. Due to the almost unbelievable content of the show, the whole thing seemed like a case of life copying art. Throughout my viewing, I thought to myself ‘how could this really happen?’ If it were a purely fictional drama, a viewer would likely dismiss it as too unrealistic. The blurring of life and art is also intensified by Jarecki’s use of classic HBO drama stylistic tools: the beautiful, abstract introduction and the clever use of music throughout.
Robert Durst is an heir to a wealthy family. He was first suspected of killing his wife in the 80s. Then his best friend was shot in the back of the head, and some people suspected him of that murder too. He was eventually arrested for a third suspected murder where a body was decapitated and thrown in the ocean. While he admitted killing the third person, he claimed it was self-defense and that he decapitated the body and threw it in the ocean as he knew he would be suspected as guilty of murder due to his profile.
The Jinx excels largely due to Robert Durst’s participation in it. He is interviewed extensively about all of the allegations, and speaks candidly in an strangely likable way. He never denies anything that is too unreasonable and intersects his explanations with subtle witticisms. Throughout the show it was hard to tell whether he is a psychotic murderer or an extremely unlucky eccentric that is treated unfairly by a tabloid-like media. I leaned toward the former, but at times gave him the benefit of the doubt, as it was hard to fathom someone could lie consistently for such lengthy periods.
The Jinx implicitly questions the criminal justice system’s demand to prove a case ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ in an adversarial setting where there are no limitations on resources used in telling one’s story. Durst could afford close to $2 million to pay for the two best lawyers in Texas. This brings to light the inequality of a justice system where wealth can obtain superior skill in developing a more convincing story.
The case of Durst’s third suspected killing of Morris Black is the most poignant one. Durst admitted to dismembering the body, he admitted to fleeing town under an alias, and he was already suspected for two other murders. However, it is difficult when there are no witnesses to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Durst was not acting in self-defense. Some of the jurors found his story and testimony so compelling that at the time of The Jinx’s filming they still thought he was the victim of a vicious smear campaign.
The Jinx made me dwell on the fragility of truth. It can often be hard to tell whether someone is lying or not, and even in extreme cases such as Robert Durst, it can be very hard to know whether we are encountering a case of extremely bad luck or pathological lying. This is made particularly difficult when money and/or the media becomes involved, and other motives begin to erode people's desire for truth.
The Jinx is a documentary miniseries that was made and released by HBO. Due to the almost unbelievable content of the show, the whole thing seemed like a case of life copying art. Throughout my viewing, I thought to myself ‘how could this really happen?’ If it were a purely fictional drama, a viewer would likely dismiss it as too unrealistic. The blurring of life and art is also intensified by Jarecki’s use of classic HBO drama stylistic tools: the beautiful, abstract introduction and the clever use of music throughout.
Robert Durst is an heir to a wealthy family. He was first suspected of killing his wife in the 80s. Then his best friend was shot in the back of the head, and some people suspected him of that murder too. He was eventually arrested for a third suspected murder where a body was decapitated and thrown in the ocean. While he admitted killing the third person, he claimed it was self-defense and that he decapitated the body and threw it in the ocean as he knew he would be suspected as guilty of murder due to his profile.
The Jinx excels largely due to Robert Durst’s participation in it. He is interviewed extensively about all of the allegations, and speaks candidly in an strangely likable way. He never denies anything that is too unreasonable and intersects his explanations with subtle witticisms. Throughout the show it was hard to tell whether he is a psychotic murderer or an extremely unlucky eccentric that is treated unfairly by a tabloid-like media. I leaned toward the former, but at times gave him the benefit of the doubt, as it was hard to fathom someone could lie consistently for such lengthy periods.
The Jinx implicitly questions the criminal justice system’s demand to prove a case ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ in an adversarial setting where there are no limitations on resources used in telling one’s story. Durst could afford close to $2 million to pay for the two best lawyers in Texas. This brings to light the inequality of a justice system where wealth can obtain superior skill in developing a more convincing story.
The case of Durst’s third suspected killing of Morris Black is the most poignant one. Durst admitted to dismembering the body, he admitted to fleeing town under an alias, and he was already suspected for two other murders. However, it is difficult when there are no witnesses to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Durst was not acting in self-defense. Some of the jurors found his story and testimony so compelling that at the time of The Jinx’s filming they still thought he was the victim of a vicious smear campaign.
The Jinx made me dwell on the fragility of truth. It can often be hard to tell whether someone is lying or not, and even in extreme cases such as Robert Durst, it can be very hard to know whether we are encountering a case of extremely bad luck or pathological lying. This is made particularly difficult when money and/or the media becomes involved, and other motives begin to erode people's desire for truth.
