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

About The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst

"The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst" is a riveting HBO documentary miniseries that was released in 2015. It centers around Robert Durst, an elusive real estate scion, suspected in the unsolved 1982 disappearance of his wife and linked to the murders of a family friend and a neighbor in separate states. The series is a blend of interviews with Durst, archival footage, and reenactments of events in Durst's life.

Making / Production

This docuseries was directed by Andrew Jarecki, and produced by Marc Smerling and Andrew Jarecki. The series took nearly a decade to make due to the complex and murky history of Durst's life and alleged crimes, briskly painting a picture of a man who manipulated the system and lived a life marked by violence and lies.

Actors

• Robert Durst - The subject of the documentary, Durst himself appears in numerous interviews throughout the series. His unsettling persona and ambiguous statements form the backbone of the series.
• Andrew Jarecki - Besides being the director, Jarecki also conducts the in-depth interviews with Durst. His balanced questioning helps to expose various angles of the story.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The series became instantly famous for its shocking final episode where Durst, caught on a hot mic in the bathroom, seemingly confesses to the murders by saying, "What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."
• Just a day before the airing of the final episode, Durst was arrested by the FBI in connection with the first-degree murder of Susan Berman.
• The series was inspired by the feature film "All Good Things" (2010), directed by Andrew Jarecki, which was itself based on Durst's life.

Awards

The series won two Emmy Awards in 2015 for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series and Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming. In addition, it won the 2015 Peabody Award.

Quotes

• "The movie didn't make me do it. The movie just allowed for it." - Robert Durst
• "In this case, there may be one story that's winning..." - Andrew Jarecki

Music, Soundtrack

• The haunting title sequence is set to the song "Fresh Blood" by Eels, perfectly capturing the chilling motif of the series.
• Music and sound design for the series were done by West Dylan Thordson, who conveyed the story's dark undertones effectively through his score.