Andrew Jarecki, Capturing the Friedmans: Old School Reviews

Capturing the Friedmans (2003)

Director: Andrew Jarecki

Stars: Arnold Friedman, Elaine Friedman, David Friedman, Jesse Friedman

Release Company: Magnolia Studios

MPAA Rating: R

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If you peruse the family photographs on the official web site for Capturing the Friedmans, you'd never suspect that all isn't kosher with this typical upper middle-class American family that lives in Great Neck, Long Island. Still photographs preserve the happy, normal times—a Bar Mitzvah, birthdays, Thanksgivings, family shots with grandma and grandpa, etc. We all know that these snapshots reveal very little truth about the reality of family relationships—at best providing poetic outtakes that peep into lives, like Arnie Friedman's new Volvo with personalized license plate of "COMPUTER," his office sanctuary with a pair of pianos, and recreational room equipped with a computer lab for private lessons.

Look deeper though and you may see troubling signs beneath the veneer. We've seen similar themes developed in fictional films like Ordinary People, American Beauty, and The Ice Storm. With his debut feature documentary, Andrew Jarecki takes a non-fictional trip that is closer to Blue Velvet's crazy world. Don't expect any severed ears, but when the pedophilia charges are revealed, lots of yelling and chaos ensue.

Just accuse someone of pedophilia, and their reputations are damaged forever. A crime that automatically shocks and disgusts people, pedophilia charges send the media into a feeding frenzy—witness the continuing sensational coverage of Catholic priests forsaking their chastity vows for kiddie sex. Annual stories about a well-liked and established school teacher, who is accused of child molestation, break out across America. Such is the case of high school teacher Arnie Friedman, under FBI surveillance for ordering child pornography through the Postal Service and arrested in 1987 for sodomizing young boys in his home computer lab.

The police charge that this was a tag team affair and also arrest the youngest Friedman son, 18 year old Jesse, for molesting the boys. Thus, the Friedman family rapidly disintegrates and is forever changed.

In the tradition of Errol Morris's wacky character studies, Jarecki takes a riveting roller coaster ride through dark comedy, family dysfunction, crime drama, and sociological study until the only certainty in the end remains the tragic unraveling of the Friedman family. Of course the roots of the family's demise may trace back to Arnie's marriage day since his wife Elaine states that the only thing they had in common was their "three kids to yell at."

Straightening out the facts becomes a running task for the audience, and Jarecki leaves the film wonderfully ambiguous, certain to inspire countless post mortem discussions that will travel predictable circles. The only related irrefutable fact established is that Arnie did possess a stash of child pornography, but does looking at this material make him a pedophile? Do such unrevealed desires merit banishment from decent society, if they are never acted upon? We all have dark thoughts we never act on, and most likely would deny if pressured. So is Arnie an innocent Hitchcockian victim of circumstance, or the vicious creep that the police paint him to be? There's even less evidence supporting Jesse's guilt, but enough innuendo remains to fill out a month full of Opra Winfrey shows.

Without direct physical evidence, the brunt of the proof comes from unnamed former computer students that may or may not have been influenced by the nature of the police questioning, deftly demonstrated in one clever juxtaposition. If we believe Arnie's lawyer, Arnie did molest at least one neighborhood boy, but the lawyer too has a suspect agenda to maintain. As clever as lawyers are with language, how much trust can you put into their revelations? Can we be certain that this lawyer accurately reveals Arnie's confidential statements accurately without twisting the context to justify his legal actions?

Although current interviews with embittered oldest surviving family members (outside of Seth, who refused to take part), legal authorities, and the Friedman's lawyer provide intrigue, leading to some of the film's funniest remarks and its greatest ambiguities, what transforms this documentary into compelling drama are David's home movies recorded during the legal process. Demonstrating the power of camcorder intimacy, David shares his video journal of those times, including his private message for whoever is watching to "turn it off" before screaming epithets at the police, family strategy sessions before the court hearing, and both Arnold's and Jesse's final night before the court sentencing.

Upon exiting the theater, I heard numerous debates going on attempting to establish exactly what happened. It makes for great conversation, but the film is certain to frustrate anyone who just has to have THE answer. Jarecki's film reveals layers of ambiguity rarely found in documentaries, and anyone thinking they have discovered the truth during the 107-minute running time is either delusional or stubbornly remains in as much denial as any of the Friedman family. No one emerges unscathed, unless it is the rebellious middle son, Seth (shown in some of the home movie clips), the lone family member that refuses interviews.

In essence, Capturing the Friedmans ranks among the most provocative and rewarding films of the year, with more twists and turns than a well crafted thriller. Although few families harbor certified pedophiles, virtually everyone hosts secrets that we'd prefer remain hidden, and that makes Arnie Friedman's guilty expressions and avoidance maneuvers pitiable. Unlike typical sensationalist news stories that highlight the headlines and punctuate with glib sound bites and going far beyond feature stories that rely on current interviews and carefully balanced reporting, Andrew Jarecki's Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner digs deep enough into the psyches of the principals to reveal how elusive the truth can be—especially when dealing with darker realms of sexuality.