The Jinx (miniseries)
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''The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst'' is a 2015
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
documentary
miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
about New York real estate heir Robert Durst, a convicted murderer. It was written by Andrew Jarecki,
Marc Smerling Marc Smerling is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and director. He was nominated for an Oscar for '' Capturing the Friedmans'' in 2003, and co-wrote and produced '' The Jinx'', a six-part HBO documentary on suspected murd ...
, and
Zac Stuart-Pontier Zac Stuart-Pontier is an American film editor, host and producer. He is known for his work on the HBO documentary '' The Jinx'', ''Catfish'' and ''Martha Marcy May Marlene''. Life and career Zac was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. He graduate ...
. The series was directed by Jarecki, who had previously directed the feature fictional film '' All Good Things'' (2010), inspired by Durst's biography. Durst had professed admiration for the film ''All Good Things'' and telephoned Jarecki after its release, offering to be interviewed (this conversation was recorded and incorporated into the documentary). Durst sat with Jarecki for more than 20 hours over several years, despite having never previously cooperated with any journalist. ''The Jinx'' gained widespread exposure when Durst was arrested on
first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...
charges for the death of his friend Susan Berman, the day before its finale aired.


Synopsis

The series investigates the unsolved 1982 disappearance of Durst's wife Kathie, the 2000 execution-style killing of writer Susan Berman, and the 2001 death and
dismemberment Dismemberment is the act of cutting, ripping, tearing, pulling, wrenching or otherwise disconnecting the limbs from a living or dead being. It has been practiced upon human beings as a form of capital punishment, especially in connection with ...
of Durst's neighbor Morris Black in
Galveston Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Ga ...
,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. Durst was suspected of involvement in the first two murders and confessed to the third, but claimed self defense and was acquitted at trial. The series incorporates a wide array of existing media including news footage, security footage, police evidence, and archival interviews, combined with footage shot by Jarecki. It is composed of contemporary interviews, visual reenactments (some of which were shot at Jarecki's
upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...
home), and self-reflexive footage of Jarecki's film-making process and odd working relationship with Durst. Its complex editing style and
narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller (ge ...
construction emphasize the contradictions within both Durst's life and the bizarre and grisly murders he committed. During the conclusion of the fifth episode, Sareb Kaufman, Berman's stepson, contacts the filmmakers asking them to review material that was left by Berman after her murder. In it, he highlights an envelope from Durst to Berman sent in March 1999: the envelope's
block letter Block letters (known as printscript, manuscript, print writing or ball and stick in academics) are a sans-serif (or "gothic") style of writing Latin script in which the letters are individual glyphs, with no joining. Elementary education in E ...
handwriting matches and contains the same "Beverley Hills" misspelling as an anonymous envelope sent to police in December 2000 to alert them to Berman's murder. The filmmakers, shocked by the revelation, place both envelopes in a
safety deposit box A safe deposit box, also known as a safety deposit box, is an individually secured container, usually held within a larger safe or bank vault. Safe deposit boxes are generally located in banks, post offices or other institutions. Safe deposit ...
, and decide to get a second interview from Durst. In the sixth and final episode, the filmmakers visit a forensic document examiner. After analyzing both envelopes and other documents in Durst's block letter writing, he states that the two writings have characteristics that can come from "one person, and only one person". Jarecki attempts to get a second interview with Durst, who suddenly becomes evasive and uninterested in a follow-up. At one point he claims to be in Spain, but Kaufman says that Durst told him he was in Los Angeles. After Durst is arrested for violating a restraining order filed by his brother
Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...
, Jarecki convinces Durst to conduct a second interview. During their session, Jarecki confronts Durst about the match in handwriting on the two envelopes - Durst acknowledges the similarity, but denies writing the letter about Berman's murder. After the interview Durst goes to the bathroom. Apparently unaware that his microphone is still recording, he makes a rambling, off-camera statement to himself, ending with, "What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."


Episodes

Chapter 6 is referred to as "The Second Interview" on some promotional platforms.


Cast

In order of appearance: * Gary Jones (detective, Galveston Police Department) * Joel Bennett (Assistant District Attorney, Galveston) * Cody Cazalas (detective, Galveston Police Department) * Randy Burrows (member of Galveston Dive Team) * Debrah Lee Charatan (current wife of Robert Durst) * Charles V. Bagli (reporter, ''The New York Times'') *
Jeanine Pirro Jeanine Ferris Pirro (born June 2, 1951) is an American television host, author, and a former New York State judge, prosecutor, and politician. Pirro was the host of Fox News Channel's ''Justice with Judge Jeanine'' until 2022 when she became ...
(former District Attorney, Westchester County, New York) *
Douglas Durst Douglas Durst (born December 19, 1944) is an American real estate investor and developer. He is the president of the Durst Organization, which he has been in charge of since 1992. Early life and education Durst was born in New York City in 1944< ...
(younger brother of Robert Durst; chairman,
Durst Organization The Durst Organization is one of the oldest family-run commercial and residential real estate companies in New York City. Established in 1915, the company is owned and operated by the third generation of the Durst family. As of 2014, it owns and ...
) * Robert Durst * John Waldron (attorney for Robert Durst) * Michael Kennedy (Durst family attorney) *
Dick DeGuerin Dick DeGuerin (born February 16, 1941 in Austin, Texas, Austin, Texas) is a Criminal Law, criminal defense Lawyer, attorney based in Houston, Texas, most notable for defending Tom DeLay, Allen Stanford, David Koresh and Robert Durst. In 1994, DeG ...
(attorney for Robert Durst) * Andrew Jarecki (director and producer, ''All Good Things'') * Marc Smerling (writer and producer, ''All Good Things'') * Eamonn Bowles (Magnolia Pictures, distributor, ''All Good Things'') * Ann McCormack (mother of Kathie Durst) * Jim McCormack (brother of Kathie Durst) * Gilberte Najamy (friend of Kathie Durst) *
Geraldine McInerney Geraldine McInerney was an Irish journalist and continuity announcer on Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), Ireland's national broadcaster, during the early 1970s. She went on to become the first woman to read the news on RTÉ Television in Octob ...
(McCormack family friend) * Eleanor Schwank (friend of Kathie Durst) * Michael Struk (former detective, New York City Police Department) * Ellen Strauss (friend of Kathie Durst) * Bill Mayer (neighbor of Robert Durst) * Joe Becerra (detective, New York State Police) * Gabrielle Colquitt (later owner of Durst lake house) * Ed Murphy (senior investigator, Westchester District Attorney's Office) * Susan Berman (friend of Robert Durst) * Tom Padden Sr., Tom Padden Jr. (cousins of Susan Berman) *
Kim Lankford Kim Lankford (born June 14, 1954) is an American businesswoman and retired actress, best known for her role as Ginger Ward on ''Knots Landing'' from 1979 to 1983. Life and career Lankford was born in Montebello, California. She made her screen ...
(friend of Susan Berman) *
Lynda Obst Lynda Rosen Obst (born April 14, 1950)Lynda Obst
Durst Organization The Durst Organization is one of the oldest family-run commercial and residential real estate companies in New York City. Established in 1915, the company is owned and operated by the third generation of the Durst family. As of 2014, it owns and ...
, was apprehensive about the documentary's portrayal of the Durst family and, in particular, its use of videotaped depositions that had been subject to a
confidentiality agreement A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a legal contract or part of a contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish ...
. He petitioned the
New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...
in January 2015 to compel Jarecki to reveal his sources. "Douglas Durst is worried
hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
''The Jinx'' will be a violent broadside against the family name and history,” the petition stated. By showing that Robert or wife Debrah Lee Charatan violated a
Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...
judge's 2006 order sealing the material, Douglas could sue to recover a $65 million family trust settlement. According to ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', Robert gave filmmakers "unrestricted access" to his personal files, which included the videotaped testimony. A lawyer for Douglas argued that ''The Jinx'' is a "sensationalized docudrama" and that its director is exempt from New York's shield law, designed to protect journalists. Jarecki replied that his use of dramatic reenactments (by actors whose faces were never shown) was not evidence of fictionalization. Despite attempting to "portray Robert Durst as a human being in a fashion that could help explain some of his behavior, rather than as a
burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.
figure," Jarecki never promised Durst that his film would ultimately defend his innocence. On March 14, 2015, the eve of the final episode's airing, Durst was arrested in
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
by the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
on a
first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...
warrant obtained by the LAPD in connection to Berman's death. They had undertaken an investigation based on new evidence presented in the miniseries. The
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
reported that the 1999 letter written by Durst to Berman, unearthed by the filmmakers, provided "key new evidence" leading to the filing of murder charges. According to ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', the filmmakers sought legal advice on when to share the letter with law enforcement, weighing journalistic privilege against possible claims of evidentiary inadmissibility in a future trial. Interviewed ten days after his brother's arrest, Douglas told ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' that his brother had stalked him as recently as February 22, 2015, in
Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoas ...
. He felt "a tremendous sense of relief" at the turn of events which led to Robert's arrest. Although sharply disputing some assumptions about the Durst family presented in Jarecki's documentary (which he had not seen), and continuing to stress the threat Robert posed to him and others, Douglas sounded a conciliatory note: “I no longer am looking over my shoulder,” he said. “I’m very grateful to ‘The Jinx’ for having brought this about.” Douglas dropped his legal action against Jarecki in late April 2015, and was reportedly considering a move to freeze $74 million of his estranged brother's assets. In April 2019, during Durst's trial, a transcript from the series revealed that Durst's final remarks had been edited and presented out of order. According to the transcript filed in court, Durst's complete remarks were as follows: Jarecki, Smerling, and Stuart-Pontier defended the edits as "entirely representative of what Durst said". Documentary filmmaker
Mark Jonathan Harris Mark Jonathan Harris (born 1941) is an American documentary filmmaker probably best known for his films '' Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport'' (2000) and '' The Long Way Home'' (1997). He has directed three documentaries ...
described the edits as "problematic", saying that Durst's statements are "definitely more ambiguous in the transcript" and the edit made them "damning".


Soundtrack

The theme song is "
Fresh Blood ''Fresh Blood'' is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Steve Swindells. The album was originally released in late 1980 on the label Atco. The album was Swindells' first solo album following his departure from Hawkwind, due t ...
" performed by
Eels Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
. The original score was composed by West Dylan Thordson with co-composition by John Kusiak. Musical saw, performed by
Natalia Paruz Natalia 'Saw Lady' Paruz is a New York City-based musical saw player, bell ringer and busker. She is the founder and director of the annual Musical Saw Festival in New York City. She also organized the musical saw festival in Israel. She is a ...
, is featured throughout the series.


Reception

''The Jinx'' received widespread critical acclaim and media buzz, particularly upon airing its revelatory finale. John Hendrickson at ''
Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'' called the series' ending "one of the most jaw-dropping moments in television history." Mike Hale from ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' said it was "gut-wrenching, remarkable television." Sean T. Collins of ''
The New York Observer ''The New York Observer'' was a weekly newspaper printed from 1987 to 2016, when it ceased print publication and became the online-only newspaper ''Observer''. The media site focuses on culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainmen ...
'' called the series "a documentarian’s unicorn: a quest for the truth that, it seems, found it, and found it spectacularly," adding that in comparison to usual television true-crime documentary fare, ''The Jinx'' "pulls an SUV with a vanity plate that reads 'BEVERLEY' up on the curb and mows it all down." Other critics accused the documentary of charting an uncomfortable line between storytelling and journalism. Two days after Durst's arrest and one day after the final installment of ''The Jinx'' was aired, ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' reported that " e filmmakers, having been quizzed on the time line of events as represented, have cancelled forthcoming interviews." Specifically, when challenged over whether Robert Durst's arrest for trespassing on his brother Douglas Durst's property occurred before the filmmakers' second interview with Robert, as implied by ''The Jinx'', Andrew Jarecki replied, "Yeah, I think I’ve got to get back to you with a proper response on that." Several media outlets questioned how long the filmmakers had sat on evidence damaging to Durst before turning it over to law enforcement. Jarecki subsequently sent an explanation to multiple media outlets:
“Given that we are likely to be called as witnesses in any case law enforcement may decide to bring against Robert Durst, it is not appropriate for us to comment further on these pending matters. We can confirm that evidence (including the envelope and the washroom recording) was turned over to authorities months ago.”
A study of
Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...
case notes by ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' indicated that, contrary to then-District Attorney Jeanine Pirro's assertions in ''The Jinx'' that "we were about to speak with" Susan Berman about Kathie Durst's disappearance, New York investigators had not yet scheduled an interview nor funded an investigator to visit Berman in California at the time of her December 23, 2000, murder. Durst said in a 2005 deposition, excerpted in ''The Jinx'', that Berman called him shortly before her death and said: "The Los Angeles police contacted me. They wanted to talk about Kathie Durst’s disappearance.” Although the
Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...
denied any connection between Durst's arrest and HBO's airing of ''The Jinx'' finale,
Dick DeGuerin Dick DeGuerin (born February 16, 1941 in Austin, Texas, Austin, Texas) is a Criminal Law, criminal defense Lawyer, attorney based in Houston, Texas, most notable for defending Tom DeLay, Allen Stanford, David Koresh and Robert Durst. In 1994, DeG ...
, Durst's defense attorney, lashed out at the timing. “Do I think this is a coincidence? Hell, no,” he said. “There has been rumor, innuendo and speculation for a number of years, and now we’re going to get our day in court on this.”


Awards

''The Jinx'' was nominated for six and won two
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime E ...
in 2015: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series and Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming. It received nominations for Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming, Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming, Outstanding Sound Editing for Nonfiction Programming (Single or Multi-Camera), and Outstanding Sound Mixing for Nonfiction Programming. ''The Jinx'' was also awarded a 2015 Peabody Award, as well as the
TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials The TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries, and Specials is an award given by the Television Critics Association. Winners and nominees Total awards by network * HBO – 16 * PBS – 6 * ABC – 4 * CBS – 2 * FX – 2 * NBC ...
from the
Television Critics Association The Television Critics Association (TCA) is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canadian television critics, journalists and columnists who cover television programming for newspapers, magazines and web publications. The TCA accepts app ...
.
Marc Smerling Marc Smerling is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and director. He was nominated for an Oscar for '' Capturing the Friedmans'' in 2003, and co-wrote and produced '' The Jinx'', a six-part HBO documentary on suspected murd ...
, Andrew Jarecki, and
Jason Blum Jason Ferus Blum "Jason Ferus Blum was born in LA in 1969 to Shirley Neilsen, an art professor, and Irving Blum, an art dealer" (; born 1969) is an American film and television producer. He is the founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, whic ...
won the
Producers Guild of America Award The Producers Guild of America Awards were originally established in 1990 by the Producers Guild of America as the Golden Laurel Awards, created by PGA Treasurer Joel Freeman with the support of Guild President Leonard Stern, in order to honor ...
for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television.


International broadcast

The miniseries premiered in Australia on May 7, 2015, on
Showcase Showcase or vitrine may refer to: *Cabinet (furniture) *Display case Music * ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961 * ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...
. ''The Jinx'' premiered in India on June 9, 2015, on HBO Defined.


Notes


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jinx, The 2010s American documentary television series 2010s American television miniseries 2015 in American television HBO documentary films True crime television series Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series Robert Durst