It is the story of the most famous missing person in the history of New York, which has sparked great controversy everywhere. The film tells of David Marx who was suspected while they were placed in the dock but not tried for the murder of his wife Katie, who mysteriously disappeared in 1982.
Jarecki knows how to make scenes of boisterous family reunions and quiet moments between lovers engaging: He fares less well, though, when the story takes a dark turn.
The end result is intriguing, with a dash of a love story here and a twisty whodunit there. A fine performance by Ryan Gosling glues the mishmash together.
The acting occasionally borders on great. The story itself is more than worthy. But none of that comes close to overcoming the misguided pacing and overall lack of depth.
Director Andrew Jarecki, who made his name with the documentary Capturing the Friedmans, is less successful at limning family dysfunctionality in the fictional mode.
All Good Things isn't a pleasurable film to experience, but it offers an uncanny evocation of a narcissistic sociopath who doesn't come at us with the charm and sophistication that the typical screen bad guy has.
