Capturing the Friedmans
Composite Score: 85.53
Featuring: Arnold Friedman, Jesse Friedman, David Friedman, Elaine Friedman, Seth Friedman, John McDermott, Frances Galasso, and Joseph Onorato
Director: Andrew Jarecki
Genres: Documentary, Biography, Crime
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Box Office: $4.08 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Capturing the Friedmans is a true crime documentary from Andrew Jarecki about the 1980s investigation of Arnold Friedman and his youngest son Jesse, following accusations of child molestation that were brought against them. The film utilizes interviews with investigators, victims, and the surviving family members to tell the chilling story of Arnold Friedman’s crimes and to shed light on the questionable methods of investigation carried out by the prosecution. It tells a story of victimization and showcases the horrific nature of abusive relationships and the manipulation that abusers can carry out against their victims. While the film refuses to come to a clear conclusion on the actual facts of the case, it still serves as a stunning reminder of the impact of media, word-of-mouth, and proximity to abusers in the modern age.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
I am all for documentaries and other films that call out flawed police practices and the dangers of group-think, but in the case of Capturing the Friedmans, it feels a bit off in its execution. It almost has the same energy as Grey Gardens but if the dynamic being explored was abusive father and dependent sons with pedophilia as the underlying theme rather than poverty. This feels like a film that I shouldn’t be watching because of the delusion of the central figures, which is on full display for the audience to see. I’m not usually one to stereotype people, but let me tell you that, if I saw any of the Friedman men out in public, it would not surprise me at all to learn that they were connected to sex offenders. Their situation as victims of their father’s abuse, whether explicit or simply manipulative, is certainly tragic, but trying to use them as evidence against the police case that convicted their father and brother feels wrong on some level.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Though its methods and subject matter might not be the best way to address its issues, Capturing the Friedmans contains within it some praiseworthy explorations and critiques of policing, plea bargaining, media frenzies, and possible mass hysteria that warrant at least one watch at some point in your life. By interviewing the detectives and lawyers and victims and witnesses, the documentary paints a very distorted picture of what the facts of Jesse’s and Arnold’s cases may or may not have been, highlighting the manipulative nature of police interview tactics and the way that media inherently skews the opinions of juries before they even have a chance to get called to sit on a case. It’s this stunning indictment of the system that questions the efficacy of a justice system where it’s easier to simply plead guilty to a crime that you didn’t commit (whether Jesse did or not, I’m a bit more inclined to agree with the state) than it is to provide a jury with reasonable doubt about your guilt in a court case. The story of Jesse Friedman ends up being fairly inconsequential to the point that the film actually wants to make, and that’s what keeps it worth recommending.
By exploring the inconsistencies of the American legal/judicial system and the confirmation bias inherent to many police investigations and interviews, Capturing the Friedmans asserts itself as one of the premier true crime documentaries. I don’t necessarily think that it makes an overly convincing argument in favor of either of its accused and convicted subjects, but the broader point that it’s trying to make still stands. You can currently stream this film on Max if you’d like to find it in the near future for a watch.
