Review of All Good Things (2010) by Jordan W — 15 Jan 2011

Some stories are too unbelievable to be fiction. Many events occur in real life that, in fiction, would seem contrived, implausible and silly. âAll Good Thingsâ? is a good example of a story that challenges the boundaries of reason, examining the true story of an innocent woman who married into a very wealthy family and became ensnared in the familyâ(TM)s web of dark secrets and lies.

The young woman is Katie (Kirsten Dunst,) and she meets David Marks (Ryan Gosling) when he comes to her apartment to fix a leaky pipe. They develop a romantic relationship fairly quickly, and to the dismay of Davidâ(TM)s father, Sanford Marks (Frank Langella,) a powerful New York real estate tycoon. David proposes to Katie soon after meeting her family, and the two spend some time in Vermont where they open a heath-food store called âAll Good Things.â?

The couple is happy in Vermont, running the store and living in the country. But Sanford presses upon David to come back to New York and join the family business. He holds their finances in his hands, as he is supporting them, and David gives in to his fatherâ(TM)s wishes, which seem more like threats.

Time passes, and as the layers are slowly peeled away from Davidâ(TM)s past, Katie begins to realize that something is wrong with David, and that although she is close to him, she really has no idea who he is. He talks to himself often, and soon develops frightening outbursts of irrational rage and paranoia. Here is where the filmâ(TM)s director, Andrew Jarecki, realizing that many are not already familiar with the story, yanks the rug out from under the audience, as the story of David Marks and his wife Katie takes a turn for the âso crazy, you couldnâ(TM)t make it upâ? category.

Kirstin Dunst does some of her best work here as a woman in way over her head, married to a man whose past haunts him and drives him to commit unspeakable acts. There is a moment when she finally realizes the gravity of her situation, and Dunst really goes there in showing us just how terrifying a realization it is. It is an excellent performance.

Ryan Gosling is an actor who has consistently chosen some of the most challenging and intense roles out there, from the conflicted lawyer in Gregory Hoblitâ(TM)s highly underrated âFracture,â? to âLars and the Real Girl,â? where he played an emotionally withdrawn man who forms a relationship with a sex-doll. And of course, it is worth mentioning his work in Derek Cianfranceâ(TM)s new film âBlue Valentine.â? Here, once again, Gosling, a method actor, proves that he can inhabit a characterâ(TM)s mindset with chilling authenticity and power.

âAll Good Thingsâ? has drawn much criticism for its ambiguity. The script by Marcus Hinchy and Marc Smerling wisely leaves many questions unanswered. We are left to interpret a lot of what is shown, including the relationship between David and another character we meet called Malvern Bump (Phillip Baker Hall.) Jarecki shows us many brief scenes containing few words, but a flood of subtext between different characters. This allows for a deeply engrossing film that examines a crime story from an almost documentary point-of-view, an attribute that yields positive and negative resultsâ"the film is somewhat emotionally withdrawn from the events occurring, aside from a few particular scenes which are not difficult to pick out.

That makes sense, as Jarecki's first feature, âCapturing the Friedmans,â? was a documentary. That film was a fascinating look at a contemporary middle-class Jewish family living in Long Island, after the father and son are accused of horrific crimes involving child molestation and pedophilia. This film complements that one, as it peels away the layers of a seemingly wealthy and happy couple, and the strange events that occurred in the years that followed their marriage. It is a love story that goes terribly wrong in far stranger ways than you would think.