"what lifts Capturing the Friedmans above the ordinary is the vault of home movies the family made, which Jarecki has drawn on to amazing effect. It's tortuous stuff at times, but impossible not to watch and with so many twists, you're never too sure of the truth." Chris Bartlett QUEENSLAND SUNDAY MAIL "It is one of those rare films whose subject matter alone can wipe you out emotionally." Joe Baltake SACRAMENTO BEE "An experience you will never forget." Terry Lawson DETROIT FREE PRESS "A movie that will haunt you for months to come." Glenn Lovell SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS "A remarkable and shattering documentary." Lou Lumenick NEW YORK POST

"It's difficult to imagine another doc having such extraordinary material at its disposal, or another filmed family being as spellbinding." Michael Atkinson VILLAGE VOICE "This extraordinary film refracts truth through the prism of memory, until what you get is a tragedy of Shakespearean dimensions, full of sacrifice and betrayal." Jami Bernard NEW YORK DAILY NEWS "I can't stop thinking about the Friedmans. I want to, but I can't." Linda Cook QUAD CITY TIMES "Not since Memento has a movie served up such a provocative mind-bender, and the Sundance winner by first-time filmmaker Andrew Jarecki has the advantage of being true." Mike Clark USA TODAY "You may never see a film more explosive, frank and upsetting." Chris Hewitt ST PAUL PIONEER PRESS

At A Glance

"A stirring examination of truth at odds with perception, the high price of privacy in the media era and the blinding veil of blood ties." Scott Foundas VARIETY

For many cinemagoers "Capturing The Friedmans" will prove to be challenging, disturbing, confronting and a film that leaves you with many unanswered questions. It's not only the viewer who is left wondering about the sentencing outcomes for lawyers, psycologists and behavioural experts still dissect the case. But don't worry, it took debut director Andrew Jarecki three years to unravel the Friedmans story and to put the film together. He describes the film as, "the story of a family, and we follow their history and experience through some extremely unusual territory. The crime described is the centerpiece of the film in that it drives the behavior of the family, and of the community. On a philosophical level, the film is about the elusive nature of truth; how our memories evolve over time to suit our needs; memories of our family; memories of our parents; memories of things we’ve done or felt we had to do in our lives or our work. It’s also about the nature of family and of society; what we owe each other as members of a family and of a community." The greatest insight into what happened to the Friedmans comes from the use of original photos, movie films and tape recordings the family had made over many, many years and this allows us to make the judgements Jarecki describes. So how did he gain access to so much of the Friedmans personal materials?
"I had been working on the film for a long time. At one point David, the oldest son who was sort of my first way into the story, said to me, 'Look, you know, if you end up really wanting to make a film about this, I should tell you I have hours and hours of, you know, home movies of my family that all come from before these traumatic events. And then, actually I have lots more footage documenting what happened afterward.' I was amazed," he says. But it's not a pretty picture is it; you know, watching the family disintergrate before our eyes and become so dysfunctional? Why now and why place their lives in the hands of a stranger?
"Some of the family members have never really been able to get their lives back to normal, and I think telling the story is necessary to accomplishing that," he said. "Maybe I came along at the right moment for them. I think the family members had the sense that I would tell the story in a respectful and compassionate way. And that I was willing to do the work to understand the story, which is really complex." That must have required a lot of trust on their part? "We came to understand things about the case that the family had never known," Jarecki says. "That also helped the relationship develop. I think letting someone make a film about you is fundamentally about trust. It’s about feeling that the filmmaker doesn't mean you harm and is going to deal with you fairly. In this case, I hoped and I think the family never felt that our interests were to paint an ugly picture of them. That wasn’t my interest intellectually. It's a fascinating film from every angle isn't it, and everyone has a story to tell?
"Well, it is remarkable how eloquently everyone tells their version of the story. Not just the family members, who are smart and articulate, but also the police, the detectives, the district attorney, the postal inspector, the Judge, I found everyone fascinating to listen to," he said. Was there anything that surprised you?
"What was most surprising was that even though everyone brought their significant intelligence to bear in telling their version, still no one could agree on anything." And that's what most viewers will discover. Those who see the film will have their own interpretation. This is a film which 'makes' you think. And that's really the beauty of it. Jackeri I believe has achieved what he set out to do when he said, "What I would like to see happen is that people leave and say, 'You know, I’ve seen a lot of films this year where, at the end, I'm supposed to think something. And here, I’m not supposed to think something. I’m just supposed to think.' That's my hope.
And what does Jarecki hope people will perceive of the Friedmans? "I hope", he said, "that by seeing this family up close and particularly through the home movies that are integrated throughout the film, we’ll come to understand them. Whether or not we like them or agree with them, we’ll see them as people with whom we have certain things in common." The Story

“It does something you wish every film could do. It surprises you again and again, and then again.” ............ Liam Lacy TORONTO GLOBE & MAIL

The true and remarkable story about the disintegration of the Friedman family. When postal authorities intercept a mail item containing child pornography addressed to Arthur Friedman little do they realize what they will uncover. An undercover operation is set up and, after delivering the article, post officers along with the local police return to search the family house. It will lead to the arrest of Arthur and Jessie Friedman for immoral conduct with minors involved in computer lessons they have been running during school breaks. The use of original footage collected over the years which potray a simple family, the childhood years and more, through to the period of the trial and the jailing of both men allows us to make our own judgements and interpretations of both the case and the Friedmans. The use of family tape recordings helps us dig even deeper into the Friedman's psyche. The film reveals much about the case, including what appears to be misinformation by those officers involved in the case. The Verdict "Cinema, done documentary style. You be the judge. Just who was guilty. Who should have been jailed. It's all here on display in "Capturing The Friedmans". A warts and all true life story that will have every viewer questioning the outcome. I guarantee it will have you leaving the theatre with a myriad of unanswered questions racing through your mind. Highly Recommended." The Real People

Arnold Friedman Elaine Friedman David Friedman Seth Friedman Jesse Friedman Howard Friedman John McDermott Frances Galasso Joseph Onorato Judd Maltin Abbey Boklan Ron Georgalis Scott Banks Debbie Nathan Jerry Bernstein Peter Panaro Lloyd Doppman Jack Fallin

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Father Mother Eldest Son Middle Son Youngest Son Arnold's Brother Postal Inspector Det. Frances Galasso Assistant District Attorney Jesse's Best Friend in High School Judge Former Computer Student Judge's Legal Secretary Investigative Journalist Arnold Friedman's Attorney Jesse Friedman's Attorney Detective, Sex Crimes Unit Howard Friedman's Partner

The Crew Directed Andrew Jarecki Produced by Marc Smerling & Andrew Jarecki Original Music by Andrea Morricone Cinematography by Adolfo Doring Film Editing by Richard Hankin Art Direction by Nava Lubelski Run Time 107 minutes Rated M15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - Dendy Films - All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2004 - Impact Internet Services & The Movie Pages - All Rights Reserved