This was a terrific documentary. The facts of the case are slightly obscured by the filmmakers' willingness to exonerate the defendants in the trial, but the viewer is still able to make their own decision (or indecision) about the case.
Whether or not you believe that Arnold and Jesse Friedman are indeed guilty of the crimes they went to prison (and, in the case of Arnold, subsequently DIED for), it is very clear who the victims are. You have children who were either actually molested or railroaded by a corrupt justice system--as well as parents who refused to believe anything other than the beliefs of their children. The fact that some of the accusers came forward years later to recant anything they said about molestation leads one to believe there were false accusations made. You have the defendants as well as the other Friedman children, who--if they indeed were not guilty--have spent their entire lives trying to end their own personal victimization from their father's twisted idea of sexuality.
Above all, you have the mother. This was a woman caught in between the world and her family, of which NEITHER had sympathy or love for her. The manner in which her children ruthlessly attack her--while Arnold sits at the dinner table passively--is shameful and despicable. Throughout the entire film, she is pummeled for not being a proper matriarch as well as being associated with a pedophile she had to make an effort to love and care for, even when she didn't know he was a sick bastard. The behavior of the Friedman children amounts to the actions of spoiled brats who didn't get the toys they wanted for Christmas. It's easy to understand their frustration; they are also caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the (possible) actions of their father. But for them to continually berate their mother for having any doubt is childish and cruel.
The final scene, with the kids at the courthouse with video camera in tow, made me rethink my entire summation of the case and the film. I believe that Arnold and Jesse COULD have done this. The lack of respect they showed anyone but themselves--through self-pity and outright meanness--is the same behavior that serial rapists and murderers show their victims' families. So yes, they COULD have.
But DID they? Who knows?
Whether or not you believe that Arnold and Jesse Friedman are indeed guilty of the crimes they went to prison (and, in the case of Arnold, subsequently DIED for), it is very clear who the victims are. You have children who were either actually molested or railroaded by a corrupt justice system--as well as parents who refused to believe anything other than the beliefs of their children. The fact that some of the accusers came forward years later to recant anything they said about molestation leads one to believe there were false accusations made. You have the defendants as well as the other Friedman children, who--if they indeed were not guilty--have spent their entire lives trying to end their own personal victimization from their father's twisted idea of sexuality.
Above all, you have the mother. This was a woman caught in between the world and her family, of which NEITHER had sympathy or love for her. The manner in which her children ruthlessly attack her--while Arnold sits at the dinner table passively--is shameful and despicable. Throughout the entire film, she is pummeled for not being a proper matriarch as well as being associated with a pedophile she had to make an effort to love and care for, even when she didn't know he was a sick bastard. The behavior of the Friedman children amounts to the actions of spoiled brats who didn't get the toys they wanted for Christmas. It's easy to understand their frustration; they are also caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the (possible) actions of their father. But for them to continually berate their mother for having any doubt is childish and cruel.
The final scene, with the kids at the courthouse with video camera in tow, made me rethink my entire summation of the case and the film. I believe that Arnold and Jesse COULD have done this. The lack of respect they showed anyone but themselves--through self-pity and outright meanness--is the same behavior that serial rapists and murderers show their victims' families. So yes, they COULD have.
But DID they? Who knows?