Magnolia picks up Andrew Jarecki’s ‘All Good Things’

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EXCLUSIVE

Magnolia Pictures has acquired the American rights to “All Good Things,” the first dramatic feature from Andrew Jarecki, director of the award-winning documentary “Capturing the Friedmans” (2003).

The independent distributor plans to release the fact-based murder mystery/love story in December, and says it will push the film for Oscar consideration.

Jarecki and financier Groundswell Productions initially had planned to release “All Good Things” through the Weinstein Co., but Jarecki and the cash-strapped distributor disagreed about the film’s domestic release strategy. Earlier this year, Jarecki bought the domestic “All Good Things” rights back from the Weinstein Co., which will still handle the film internationally and is currently selling foreign territories.

Starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst, the film is loosely adapted from the real life story of real estate heir Robert Durst, who was linked to the disappearances and deaths of three people, including an elderly Texas neighbor whose body he admitted hacking up.

“Because it is impossible to know exactly what happened, we have not tried to replicate the history of the case, but to capture the emotion and complexity of this unsolved mystery that has for years been kept hidden from public view,” Jarecki said.

Among those interested in buying the film were Roadside Attractions and Focus Features.

“It’s an absolutely fascinating story and the performances are tremendous as well,” says Magnolia’s Eammon Bowles. He said like “Capturing the Friedmans,” about a child molestation case, “All Good Things” is much more complex than a simple synopsis would suggest.

“The real focus is on the relationship” between the fictionalized Durst (Gosling) and his wife (Dunst), who vanished without a trace, Bowles said. “That’s the core of the story.”

To make sure that the film would be eligible for the Academy Awards, “All Good Things” was given a token (and not publicized) theatrical release in July, so that it wouldn’t be disqualified if it were otherwise to premiere in some overseas territory.

— John Horn

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