The release of a film like Capturing The Friedmans would have been unthinkable here three years ago. Anything that presented these people as human, as conscionable, as individuals who knew they were committing atrocious acts and yet were unable to arrest their descent, would be vilified as immoral, as insensitive, in fact, probably as a single notch up from the crimes in question. "Ban This Sick Paedo Film" the papers would scream. They still might.
The history of the film is something along the following lines.
Andrew Jarecki set out to make a film about children's entertainers. You know the type, folks who show up at birthday parties with amusing blue wigs on their bonce and outlandish facial decoration. Sometimes inflatable hammers are involved.
By way of this agenda, Jarecki came into contact with David Friedman, The #1 Children's Entertainer in the New York area. They yacked on about balloon modelling and falling over and driving little bicycles and so on, before David eventually, albeit unintentionally, hinted that there might be something rather troubling in his family's recent history, something he was being very careful not to allude to.
It turns out there was.
In the mid-1980's, David's father, Arnold, a high-school teacher who also ran an after-school Computer Class, was arrested on charges relating to child pornography. Soon after, word got around that he may have been doing more than looking. And next thing you know, David's 18-year-old brother, Jesse, is hauled away also.
What followed, judging from the evidence presented here, was a long and bitter parade of allegations, rebuttals, possibly-fabricated evidence, and distortion of the truth.
And almost every frustrated holler was captured by David's video camera.
David Friedman agreed to let Jarecki tell the story, and handed over the hours upon hours of footage he had shot during the whole messy affair.
Thus, we, the audience, get to see David in his room, crying to the camera, telling the prospective viewer that this footage is "fucking private" and that if we're not him, then we "shouldn't be fucking watching it."
Pass the popcorn?
We are also treated to footage of a Passover meal wherein seemingly the entire Friedman family, up to and including Grandma, are gathered around the table, discussing the imminent removal of the patriarch from the home, whilst passing around gravy and prodding at potatoes.
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