Movie Review - 'All Good Things'

All Good Things Starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst Directed by Andrew Jarecki Rated R

Director Andrew Jarecki, (director/producer of Capturing the Friedmans) along with writers Marc Smerling and Marcus Hinchey, based this love-story-gone-wrong on the strange events surrounding the disappearance of a woman named Kathleen Durst in 1982. Wife to the wealthy heir of the Durst real estate fortune, Robert Durst, Kathleen's body was never found. Despite the correlation between her case and two homicides almost twenty years later, Robert Durst was never tried for her murder, and lives as a free, if not haunted man to this day.

Jarecki and fellow writers conducted in-depth research into this mysterious case, but their aim was not to merely present facts. “We didn’t try to replicate the exact history, but worked to capture the emotion and complexity of this love story turned unsolved mystery that has for years been kept hidden from public view.” He said. It is for this reason that the character’s the film presents are David and Katie Marks, a promising young couple whose world begins to turn on its head once David’s father convinces him to accept a position working for their family’s real estate company.

Ryan Gosling masterfully crafts David’s decent into the madness and psychological terror that the audience is only able to catch frightening glimpses of when the couple first meets.  What is more impressive, however, is that Gosling manages to maintain a subtle likeability while creating a truly scary threat. Through this juggling act, the film presents a man rather than a villain; a victim of awful, irresponsible circumstance who takes a victim of his own.

That victim is his wife, Katie Marks, played by Kirsten Dunst. Dunst skillfully carries the arc of the film from dramatic love story to classic psychological thriller with surprising strength. The sheer commitment and depth character makes her the film’s magnet and ultimately, the main protagonist. In fact, the few times the movie takes a hit are in scenes when she is not present. She is the driving force in this movie, and her handling of the enormous undertaking this film presents is nothing short of riveting. Dunst has truly come in to her own as a dramatic artist and a woman.

That said, much of the credit is due to the writers and Jarecki. This is a very smart script, and the development of the character of Katie is quite strong.  It is because of this, however, that Frank Langella’s portrayal of David Marks’ aggressively industrious father, falls a little flat. Though Langella’s performance is strong, the character remains somewhat one-dimensional and underdeveloped. It would have gone a long way to understanding the dark morality of Gosling’s Marks had the audience been given a greater understanding of the man who raised him. Instead, nearly all credit for the twisted madness is given to the fact that Marks witnessed his mother’s violent suicide at age seven. The justification is acceptable, but it would have strengthened the character and the film if his father had been given more in the way of personality, human weakness, and drive.

All Good Things is a very unique film. It’s multiple transitions in style and tone bound in versant filmic technique makes it strikingly sharp and visually engrossing. Gosling’s line deliveries will send chills down your spine while the slightly off-kilter framing reminds you of the world of controlled derangement and veiled menace you have entered into.  The mastery of the use of sound contributes greatly to the hairs raised on the back of the audience’s neck. The severity of a violent murder and David’s growing domestic turmoil are beautifully amplified by the film’s auditory manipulation. This technique, along with this film’s refusal to take the audience for granted, lends the viewers a gruesome experience without actually seeing anything particularly horrific. This film takes you just far enough that your imagination does the rest, possibly creating a more atrocious and frightening reality than the film could have produced.

Though the film could have done without some of the later scenes, particularly those with Philip Baker Hall as a desperate neighbor and friend to David Marks, the film picks itself back up again with a bit of a surprise ending. Similarly, some of the supporting cast, namely Lily Rabe and Hall, gave slightly forced performances that stuck out like a sore thumb next to those of the movie’s stars. Thankfully however, Michael Esper lifted the bar for the team with a stunningly strong, yet appropriately subtle portrayal of David’s dispassionate brother. The only real regret is the experience of leaving and wanting more: more information, more details, more motivation. But, it must be considered that the filmmaker’s objective may not have been to satisfy.

Comments

[Get The Big Picture]

Thanks Sara for your comments, the article's been edited to reflect the change :)

[Patrick Fancher]

I just saw this last night and it did get a little weird towards the end. It was good, very creepy.

You've definitely got an accurate review of the movie here.