Who
is the bigger user, the disgraced journalist or the alleged family murderer? It
is a close call, but the “journalist” has no competition when it comes to
willful self-deception. Mike Finkel’s strange and problematic relationship with
Christian Longo provides the dramatic grist for British theater Rupert Goold’s
ripped-from-the-tell-alls feature debut, True
Story (trailer
here),
which screens during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.
For
a while, Finkel was the golden boy at the New
York Times, scoring numerous Sunday magazine covers. Then he was busted for
“compositing” victims somewhat haphazardly in a human trafficking story. At
least Longo was still a fan. While on the lam, he used Finkel’s name as an
alias. Intrigued by the connection, the real Finkel pays a jail house visit to
the man accused of killing his wife and three children. Recognizing a story
that could salvage his career, Finkel agrees to co-author a book with Longo. Of
course, he assumes it will be exculpatory, but early trial developments leave
him feeling confused and betrayed.
Clearly,
this is not a film looking to rehabilitate the NYT’s scandal-plagued image. Gretchen Mol plays Finkel’s editor as
an ice cold CYAing Machiavellian, which might be the truest aspect of True Story. The ironic postscript also
serves as a final middle finger to the Gray Lady. However, Goold and
co-screenwriter David Kajganich are not trying to do any favors for Finkel or
Longo either. In all honesty, everyone comes out of it looking badly, but that
makes it fascinating to watch.
Christian
Longo, the media savvy sociopath, just might be the role James Franco was born
to play. He is so frighteningly convincing turning on the charm and manipulating
everyone around him, it makes you wonder. Although, it is a far less showy
role, Jonah Hill’s Finkel is also believably slow on the uptake (so much so, it
also makes you wonder). Mol is suitably severe, but True Story is not a great vehicle for actresses, completely wasting
Felicity Jones as Finkel’s more guarded but nearly personality-less girlfriend.