A few years ago, Andrew Jarecki set out making a documentary about children's party entertainers in New York. After spending a couple of weeks interviewing the city's number one birthday party clown, David Friedman, he realized that there was a more interesting story to tell, and pitched his original idea.
That story is Jarecki's painful and compelling documentary `Capturing the Friedmans', the story of a family that is torn apart by the family patriarch's (Arnold Friedman) penchant for child pornography who is caught receiving pornographic material in the mail. The ensuing investigation (or witch hunt, depending on your perspective) by the Nassau County police leads to two arrests (Arnold Friedman and his youngest son Jesse) for pedophilia, among many other things. The question posed is, based on the evidence presented, and the integrity of the investigation, are the subjects guilty?
The Friedman family are a fascinating study of the American family, and it is painful to watch them fall apart. Due to Arnold Friedman's fascination with film and video, there are an abundance of home movies shot by the family members themselves to assist Jarecki in showing us the `real' family; and what we see is not always pretty especially once David, in an almost prophetic way, decides to document the family almost continuously after the arrests. In the footage other than the home videos, Jarecki provides us with thorough interviews with members of the investigative team, the judge who oversaw the charges, the family members and some of the alleged victims themselves. The further the investigation digs, the more precarious the evidence becomes, and the result is both frustrating and amazing; a documentary that doesn't give us all of the answers mainly because the true answers may never be uncovered.
`Capturing the Friedmans' was an Oscar nominated documentary in a year that brought us several strong documentaries such as `Balseros' and `The Fog of War'. Andrew Jarecki provides us with enough food for thought to serve a seven course meal, and while the subject matter isn't pleasant, and is often depressing, it is a very compelling story and well presented film that makes the viewer look beyond the surface to achieve their own conclusion.
--Shelly
That story is Jarecki's painful and compelling documentary `Capturing the Friedmans', the story of a family that is torn apart by the family patriarch's (Arnold Friedman) penchant for child pornography who is caught receiving pornographic material in the mail. The ensuing investigation (or witch hunt, depending on your perspective) by the Nassau County police leads to two arrests (Arnold Friedman and his youngest son Jesse) for pedophilia, among many other things. The question posed is, based on the evidence presented, and the integrity of the investigation, are the subjects guilty?
The Friedman family are a fascinating study of the American family, and it is painful to watch them fall apart. Due to Arnold Friedman's fascination with film and video, there are an abundance of home movies shot by the family members themselves to assist Jarecki in showing us the `real' family; and what we see is not always pretty especially once David, in an almost prophetic way, decides to document the family almost continuously after the arrests. In the footage other than the home videos, Jarecki provides us with thorough interviews with members of the investigative team, the judge who oversaw the charges, the family members and some of the alleged victims themselves. The further the investigation digs, the more precarious the evidence becomes, and the result is both frustrating and amazing; a documentary that doesn't give us all of the answers mainly because the true answers may never be uncovered.
`Capturing the Friedmans' was an Oscar nominated documentary in a year that brought us several strong documentaries such as `Balseros' and `The Fog of War'. Andrew Jarecki provides us with enough food for thought to serve a seven course meal, and while the subject matter isn't pleasant, and is often depressing, it is a very compelling story and well presented film that makes the viewer look beyond the surface to achieve their own conclusion.
--Shelly