Review #727: 'Capturing the Friedmans' (2003)

Documentary film-makers are required to be somewhat voyeuristic in their attempts to capture the truth, but when first time film-maker Andrew Jarecki was working on a documentary on New York's number one clown 'Silly Billy' David Friedman, he stumbled upon a shocking story, and found that most of his work had already been done for him. Not to say that Capturing the Friedmans isn't a well-structured and well-made film - it certainly is - but what Jarecki stumbled upon was something so intimate that even the very best of film-makers could not have captured footage so startling and devastating.

The footage I'm referring to is the wealth of home footage captured by David Friedman, his brothers Seth and Jesse, and his father Arnold, before and during Arnold's trial for child molestation. What we witness is an apparently happy, picture-postcard middle-class Jewish family fall apart before our eyes, unravelling a history of tension, sadness and sexual frustration between Arnold and wife Elaine, and a dysfunction that inevitably rubbed off on the children. Aside from this, Capturing the Friedmans also documents the arrest, trial and incarceration of Arnold and youngest son Jesse, revealing possible police ineptitude and holes in the American Justice System.

When a federal sting operation results in the arrest of Arnold Friedman following the delivery of child pornography, the respected teacher finds himself questioned further when police find out he taught computer classes at home to kids. Soon enough, children are appearing out of the woodwork making claims of sexual abuse and humiliation at the hands of Arnold and Jesse, and the story becomes a media frenzy. Jarecki unearths flaws in the investigations, even recording some of the former pupils denying that there was any abuse at all, as well as pointing at the obvious fact that there was no physical evidence or anything noticed by the parents at the time.

The film doesn't offer any answers, nor does it attempt to as it's not the point of the film. It puts the viewer in the role of judge, jury and executioner, forcing you to ask yourself if this is really justice, and whether Jesse (Arnold's guilt of paedophilia is certain), as annoying as you may find him, really got what he deserved based on suspicion and child testimony alone. Capturing the Friedmans is many things - a condemnation of American justice, a devastating record of family dysfunction - but whatever you get out of it, it is an expertly pieced-together documentary, frustrating and shocking throughout, and telling a great story at the same time.


Directed by: Andrew Jarecki
Starring: Arnold Friedman, David Friedman, Jesse Friedman, Elaine Friedman, Seth Friedman
Country: USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie