Unable to view this highly regarded film on the big screen, I recently rented the DVD. This was a plus because one comes away from experiencing the movie with a litany of unanswered questions and the bonus disk really clarified many, but not all concerns.
The film tells the tale of the Friedman family and allegations of hundreds of child molestation charges committed by the father and the youngest son. The film makers did a masterful job by interweaving home 8mm and video footage with their own film. For the most part, the story allows the viewer to make up his own mind on guilt or innocence. There are what appear to be some strategic absences of facts and data by the film makers (as pointed out in the bonus DVD by the local police). But this seems to be understandable because the director, by his own admission, ended up caring so much about the family. This viewer certainly felt some empathy after this utterly dysfunctional family displayed levels of pain and despair never captured by the news media.
The bonus DVD is almost as interesting as the movie itself. Don't miss the post-premiere question and answer sessions which were attended by the family, their attorneys, prosecutors, police, social workers and the film makers.
The film tells the tale of the Friedman family and allegations of hundreds of child molestation charges committed by the father and the youngest son. The film makers did a masterful job by interweaving home 8mm and video footage with their own film. For the most part, the story allows the viewer to make up his own mind on guilt or innocence. There are what appear to be some strategic absences of facts and data by the film makers (as pointed out in the bonus DVD by the local police). But this seems to be understandable because the director, by his own admission, ended up caring so much about the family. This viewer certainly felt some empathy after this utterly dysfunctional family displayed levels of pain and despair never captured by the news media.
The bonus DVD is almost as interesting as the movie itself. Don't miss the post-premiere question and answer sessions which were attended by the family, their attorneys, prosecutors, police, social workers and the film makers.