July 15, 2006

Capturing The Friedmans

Capturing The Friedmans

(cross posted on The Word Of Mouth Scale)

I had heard a lot about this movie when it first came out and always meant to watch it. However, knowing the subject matter would be heavy and disturbing, I had never gotten around to it. When it came on satellite we tuned in - and climbed aboard a roller coaster.

The film propels you through the story without a firm foothold on the outcome - is he a monster? are they all? were they railroaded by the system? At various points you believe all those things and none of them. And at the end you are still left to wonder because this film does exactly what a documentary should do; it gives you all of the facts, but none of the answers. Those conclusions you must draw on your own.

I think I am going to try to find the DVD which apparently contains additional footage - and perhaps additional information...or questions.

I give it a rare 5 of 5, on Rotten Tomatoes it scores a whopping 97% from the critics and 96% from the users.

From Amazon:

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, and with over $3 million at the box office to date, Capturing The Friedmans is nothing short of the most riveting, provocative, and hotly debated films of the year. Despite their predilection for hamming it up in front of home-movie cameras, the Friedmans were a normal middle-class family living in the affluent New York suburb of Great Neck. One Thanksgiving, as the family gathers at home for a quiet holiday dinner, their front door explodes, splintered by a police battering ram. Officers rush into the house, accusing Arnold Friedman and his youngest son Jesse of hundreds of shocking crimes. The film follows their story from the public's perspective and through unique real footage of the family in crisis, shot inside the Friedman house. As the police investigate, and the community reacts, the fabric of the family begins to disintegrate, revealing provocative questions about justice, family, and -ultimately - truth.

Posted by Vox at July 15, 2006 01:20 PM | TrackBack | movies
Comments

We watched this movie a couple of years ago. My review written then (4 of 5 stars):

Amazing documentary film, much of it home video, depicting the conviction of a father and son in a multiple child rape case. What is interesting, more than the actual crime, is the utter failure of action by everyone involved. The family does not support one another, the community caves to police pressure, the police and judicial systems seem to want a conviction more than the truth and the lawyers want to just cover themselves. At the end of the movie, you wonder if there wasn't a crime committed by EVERYONE in the film.

Posted by: Woods at July 15, 2006 02:06 PM

I would agree with your four of five on the quality scale. The Word of Mouth Scale is just the number of people in my circle I am likely to recommend it to. I think all of my friends & family will like (or at least appreciate) it.

Posted by: Vox at July 15, 2006 03:12 PM