I'm not really the type of person to jump to one conclusion based on one piece of information. Therefore, I am not going to say whether or not I think Arnold & Jesse Friedman were really guilty of the crimes they were convicted of. However, I will say that this movie raises some reasonable doubt of the allegations and gives a more fair shake to the Friedmans than their case ever did.
Overall, I felt Andrew Jarecki's documentary was pretty balanced, but maybe tilting more towards the Friedmans' innocence. This isn't necessarily bad, because if there wasn't any question about the crime, there simply wouldn't be any documentary. That tilt towards the Friedmans becomes more apparent in Disc 2 of the DVD as you see the support the Friedmans give to this "balanced" documentary. But like I said, this is a more fair assessment than what was achieved during the actual trial; so I think the Friedmans welcomed that.
As for the content of this documentary, it's just striking. To say that this family is a little odd would be an understatement. The home movies they shot during this ordeal is absolutely astonishing. I simply don't know how they could videotape all that was going on during such a tumultuous and devastating time in their lives. And Arnold & Jesse's tapes of their last nights before going to prison are almost confounding. I can't imagine being in that position and smiling for the camera. This is just something that you can't see anywhere else. It's truly mind-boggling.
While this documentary is truly groundbreaking, it definitely should not be viewed on a recreational basis. Be prepared for some heavy material that will shock you and make you think long after you watched it.
My IMDb Rating: 10/10. My Yahoo! Grade: A+ (Oscar-Worthy)
Overall, I felt Andrew Jarecki's documentary was pretty balanced, but maybe tilting more towards the Friedmans' innocence. This isn't necessarily bad, because if there wasn't any question about the crime, there simply wouldn't be any documentary. That tilt towards the Friedmans becomes more apparent in Disc 2 of the DVD as you see the support the Friedmans give to this "balanced" documentary. But like I said, this is a more fair assessment than what was achieved during the actual trial; so I think the Friedmans welcomed that.
As for the content of this documentary, it's just striking. To say that this family is a little odd would be an understatement. The home movies they shot during this ordeal is absolutely astonishing. I simply don't know how they could videotape all that was going on during such a tumultuous and devastating time in their lives. And Arnold & Jesse's tapes of their last nights before going to prison are almost confounding. I can't imagine being in that position and smiling for the camera. This is just something that you can't see anywhere else. It's truly mind-boggling.
While this documentary is truly groundbreaking, it definitely should not be viewed on a recreational basis. Be prepared for some heavy material that will shock you and make you think long after you watched it.
My IMDb Rating: 10/10. My Yahoo! Grade: A+ (Oscar-Worthy)