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Not A Tame Lion (2022)
A Heartfelt Tribute
Bettendorf's documentary interweaves first-hand accounts from Boswell's colleagues, students, friends, and family with footage depicting the era. It was a time when people such as Jerry Falwell and Newt Gingrich used fearmongering to fuel their agenda against homosexuality.
Bettendorf features candid conversations with those who knew Boswell, effectively bringing home the scholar's impact on the LGBTQ and religious communities. "Not a Tame Lion" dives into Boswell's scholarly work and discovery of ideas on homosexuality and marriage that were essentially written out of history.
The documentary recounts how modern ideology and politics made the acknowledgment of gay history in the Catholic church unacceptable. Bettendorf uses a few staged scenes to depict what it must have been like for Boswell as he made his discoveries. For me, the interviews and historical footage do the best work of helping the audience understand what a tremendous effort this must have been-even dangerous because of the in time in which it took place.
"Not a Tame Lion" is certainly worth watching, for gay, straight, Christians, and non-Christians. At its heart, it's a story of how necessary tolerance and acceptance are in a world where bigotry and hatred can lead to violence, corruption, and even stall advances in medicine.
Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
"Capturing the Friedmans": The Perception of Truth is Mutable
"Capturing the Friedmans", directed by Andrew Jarecki, connects to the human condition by first presenting us with a picture of what we've come, as a society, to believe an upper-middle class family looks like, then it turns that ideal over, to view the underbelly and inner-workings of the family unit. The fact that a large part of the footage was shot by David Friedman, eldest son of convicted pedophile Arnold Friedman, gives the footage an essence of raw truth. We see the happy family in candid clips of their birthdays, celebrations and road trips. And we watch, helpless as their family unravels. Jarecki navigates the audience through interviews, changing testimonies, and conflicting memories that inform us; the perception of truth is mutable.
David Friedman filmed the drama of his family falling apart as if it were a soap opera. The facade of the ideal family crumbles as Jarecki compiles newsreels, photographs, and interviews with family, friends, student's parents and the authorities that force us to consider an awful truth. Despite education, money, respect in the community, and an overall stable appearance, Arnold Friedman and Jesse Friedman were convicted of horrendous crimes that were reportedly committed in their home. The Plot Arnold Friedman is a family man, respected in the community. He teaches computer classes to children ages 8 – 11. His life begins a downward spiral when it's discovered that he's been purchasing kiddie porn from the Netherlands. An investigation is opened, his house is searched and his collection of magazines is confiscated. When the police find a list of his young students, they become suspicious about Friedman's intentions and begin an investigation.
Witnesses start coming forward after initial questioning begins. The allegations of sexual abuse by Arnold Friedman and his youngest son Jesse Friedman seem to be endless. Father and son are ultimately convicted and sentenced. In the end, Arnold Friedman confesses that he is a pedophile and he molested his son Jesse. He kills himself with an overdose of anxiety medication while serving his sentence. After his father goes to prison, Jesse Friedman pleads guilty and is convicted of sexual molestation and sodomy. Once the judge sentences him, Jesse Friedman emphatically denies his guilt and states that he was coached by his lawyer who advised him to plead guilty. He also disputes his father's claim, that he was one of his father's victims. However, under oath he alleged that his father had, in fact, molested him. After recanting this statement, Jesse Friedman remained steadfast in his claim that he was not guilty and was released in 2001, after serving only thirteen years of his sentence.
Theme: The perception of truth is mutable.
Subtext: We are presented with disparaging facts and testimony throughout the film. It seems as if everyone is trying to convince us (or maybe themselves) of either the Friedman's guilt, or their innocence. According to noted author Vikki Bell, "The film itself problematizes the notion of 'reviewing' and especially the nature of 'evidence' where that evidence relies upon memory." (Theory, Culture and Society. P. 91). In the case of the Friedmans, the review is most decidedly problematic. Many of the 'players' in this drama change their testimonies. Their memories are informed by the passage of time and the events that have taken place since the incidents. Jesse Friedman admitted that he lied in his testimony at his trial, albeit because he was supposedly instructed to do so by his attorney. He stated that his father had molested him. But his testimony changed when it appeared that the confession would do nothing to aid his cause. Many of the children that came forward during the trial repudiated the charges as adults, claiming no memory of the incidents.
Aesthetics: The subtext that review is problematic, and becomes more so when that review is based upon memory, illustrates that presentation informs the perception of truth, making it mutable. We see this message throughout the film. In one clip, Elaine Friedman talks about her memories of being presented with the porn her husband had been purchasing. She says ". . . you know, I didn't see it. My eyes were in the right direction but my brain saw nothing. Because when it was all over the lawyers showed me the magazine and then I saw it for the first time, I really saw it." Her statement says everything about how we perceive information and about how truly mutable the perception of truth can be, when it's based on recollection. It also speaks to the fact that the perception of truth is mutable based upon what someone desires to see or remember. The intersection of plot, theme and editing: Jarecki pulls together the plot and the theme that the perception of truth is mutable, and proves it by using editing to create dramatic impact and influence judgment. According to research done by The Leadership Council on Child Abuse and Interpersonal Violence, there was substantial evidence that was left out of the film (through editing). This "leaving out" of information creates an environment aimed at questioning the outcome of the trials.