Unraveled

The owner of a successful law firm, Marc Dreier was arrested on suspicion of large-scale investment fraud in December 2008. This was just one of a whole series of fraud cases exposed in the aftermath of the financial crisis, the most notorious of which was the billions swindled by Bernard Madoff. The Dreier case involved hundreds of millions of dollars, which he had borrowed in the name of his richest clients without their knowledge. After Dreier admitted his crimes to the judge, he was given permission to await sentencing under house arrest in his penthouse in Manhattan. Filmmaker Marc Simon, who worked for Dreier as a lawyer, was allowed to visit him there. With the possibility of a life sentence looming, Dreier looks at the motives that sent him down such a destructive road, culminating in his downfall. His flashbacks are presented in the style of a dark graphic novel. Villain or victim? It is left to the viewer to decide. The filmmaker doesn't give Dreier a grilling, but allows him to tell his own story. The result is principally an glimpse into the declining moral sense of someone who liked to identify with his filthy rich clients.