All Good Things is based on a true story. The tale unfolds in 2 parts.
David Marks (Ryan Gosling) is the son of Sanford Marks (Frank Langella), a wealthy and shady man who owns land on 42nd street in New York. He owns land that has apartment buildings and strip clubs and his job is to collect rent from the people who use his land.
In the first part David is younger and is a gentle young man who doesn’t seem to want to join the family business. David meets Katie (Kirsten Dunst) and falls in love with her. They move away and start a health food store in Vermont and live a seemingly happy life. David’s father however persuades him to move back and join the family business. During this we start to see that something might be wrong with David. He demonstrates that he does not want children and seems disturbed. We see him being treated by an unorthodox doctor. When Katie informs him that they are having a baby he forces her to get an abortion. This sets off a series of feuds which end up with Katie leaving the house and she disappears.
In the second half of the film, Katie has been missing for years and David is living in an apartment building in a strange disguise. We are led to believe that he possibly killed or is involved in the death of Katie and that she is not missing. We are not given any sort of final solution other than David’s possible madness as to what happened. There are simply scenes that imply.
The acting however is excellent. Frank Langella as always is fantastically scary, Ryan Gosling plays possibly disturbed and conflicted perfectly and Kirsten Dunst shows her dramatic chops. If only the screenplay were as tight as the acting.
** Two Stars
Director – Andrew Jarecki
Filmic Brevity 