Technically, he’s the director and showrunner of The Jinx, but there’s no denying that Andrew Jarecki is now one of its characters.
During the filming of Season 1 of the hit HBO documentary series, Jarecki and co-creator Zack Stuart Pointier and Mark Smarling stepped out from behind the camera when it was revealed that he had accidentally found key evidence incriminating the documentary’s subject, Robert Durst. They turned the evidence over to law enforcement, eliciting Durst’s hot mic eyeball, “Of course we killed them all.”Durst was charged days before the finale, creating an unprecedented civilized society Juggernaut.
As a result, “The Jinx – Part 2” is an extraordinary example, a piece of television in which the show and its creators are part of an incredibly expansive story that begins and ends with Durst. The first episode, titled “Chapter 7,” suggests that The Jinx is his 12th installment rather than his two seasons, but Jarecki also plays with the families of Durst’s victims and Gather friends, and key law enforcement agencies who unsuccessfully tried to convict Durst. His ex-wife Kathleen McCormack and his best friend Susan Berman were murdered over a “The Jinx” viewing party. While ostensibly part of Jarecki’s ongoing mission to center the lives of those affected by the “buzzsaw” of Durst’s presence, the surreal also captures the feeling of watching Jim McCormack. I haven’t even begun to cover it. he He is watching a documentary about his missing sister, which is being filmed by the program’s director.
From there, the case picks up again, and the burden of justice falls on the shoulders of lead prosecutor John Lewin, one of the season’s main interview subjects (though the filmmakers also spoke with him in season 1). In the end, the footage was not used). As the case unfolds, viewers witness a parade of what Jarecki calls “burlesque” figures near the lawsuit and emerging from the timber frame of Durst’s history. A prominent celebrity lawyer, an uncooperative witness, and a close friend who forms one-third of Durst and Berman’s tight-knit trio. Her Berman’s own friends and her associates appear and talk about their relationship and what information she had that allowed Berman to execute her without hesitation without letting her testify. Most, if not all, people are familiar with The Jinx, and in some cases, have come forward after seeing it. “The Jinx – Part 1” is more seductively looming than “The Jinx – Part 2,” and is often quoted by witnesses in court or by Durst himself, haunted by phone calls from prison.
In terms of production, the series looks the same, but in some cases that works to its detriment. There are more dramatic reenactments than in “Part 1,” or even the true crime staples, which feel noticeably more gorgeous this time around. Other compilations of recorded conversations, video interviews, and courtroom footage meet the standard set for a dynamic and compelling documentary series. Jarecki presents evidence and revelations to his subjects multiple times during filming, a common reenactment of his Season 1 finale.
After the first of four episodes shown to critics, Jarecki and Pointier mostly take a backseat, ceding the spotlight to Durst’s victims. Because even living interviewees, allies and challengers alike, see their lives irrevocably affected by that buzzsaw. Whether they were lied to, manipulated, or convinced of their innocence to the end, he influenced their actions, and “The Jinx – Part 2” will help you and your captures the chilling feeling of realizing that someone you care about is accused of a crime. was used, but the effects were ultimately devastating.
Grade: B+
“The Jinx – Part 2” premieres April 21 on HBO, with new episodes available weekly.
