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I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

That was an excellent one.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

In 1987, US officials intercept a child pornographic magazine from the Netherlands destine for Arnold Friedman in Great Neck, Long Island. The police finds child porn in Arnold's possession. Their investigation leads to substantial sex abuse allegations with his student in his computer course along with oldest son Jesse. It splits the family as son David is adamant in their defense while mother Elaine is angered by Arnold's betrayal. Secrets are revealed but guilt is in question.There are so many ways this movie is so compelling. First, it's a mystery of the trial and guilt. There is the family dysfunction and disintegration. These are fascinating people. Their family dynamic is mesmerizing. Then there is the story of the prosecution of the family. It is an engrossing human tragedy full of twists and turns.

Nassau County district attorney, Kathleen M. Rice, re-investigated the case of Jesse Friedman in 2013 to determine whether his conviction should be upheld or overturned. Their report, prepared by an independent review panel, demonstrate Capturing the Friedman's is, in the mildest terms 'incomplete, and in some points, even incorrect, either case misleading.Here are some of the key points taken from the report (which can be found online in District Attorney's web site). With respect to the Jesse Friedman case, the report says: " None of the five individuals who Friedman advocates suggest "recanted" have, in fact, recanted to any degree of legal certainty. Three have not recanted at all. Reviews of transcripts concerning these individuals reveal that abuse occurred. Another who spoke to the Review Team stood by his account, in contrast to the statement he gave to filmmakers. The subject of the most recent purported recantation has refused to speak to the Review Team or even confirm he wrote the letter outlining the claim, which was provided to the Review Team by Jesse Friedman's lawyer." "Unedited film transcripts of Judge Abbey Boklan and Detective Anthony Squeglia show that each was the subject of selectively edited and misleading film portrayals in Capturing the Friedmans." "The "Meyers Tape" – one of only two pieces of direct evidence of heavy-handed police interviewing techniques cited by Friedman, his advocates and the Court – is, in fact, no tape at all. All that remains of a tape that hasn't existed for more than two decades are notes taken during its screening by a Jesse Friedman attorney. Those notes, presumably limited to information the attorney found helpful to his client's case, were then reduced and curated by filmmakers, and read dramatically by Friedman's attorney in Capturing the Friedmans." "A sworn affidavit from the therapist who treated former student "Computer Student One," stated that she never performed hypnosis on the child. A portion of an unedited transcript of the film's interview with "Computer Student One" contradicted his claim of pre-outcry hypnosis and had been edited out. "Computer Student One" claimed in a 2004 media report that Capturing the Friedmans "twisted" his account. The filmed allegations of "Computer Student One" remain the only direct evidence offered by Friedman or his advocates suggesting that hypnosis was used to induce victims to make accusations in this case."I also find it difficult to understand how these basic facts are totally omitted in the documentary, such as: "While maintaining his innocence prior to his eventual guilty plea, Friedman commissioned and failed at least two lie-detector tests."Overall I found the film, especially the narcissism still preserved in Friedmans' character interesting enough to google the case. In this sense, I guess that makes it good fiction movie, but still not a documentary.

This is a good documentary that captures the mind state of a pedophile and the the stress that is put on the pedophiles family. The documentary provides viewers with an inside look by showing, actual, home videos of a family that is put through a stressful trial and we are able to see tempers flare. And we get to see this family unravel on home video footage. By watching the home videos people are able to dissect the characters and the family seems to show their true feelings on camera, because I do not think they knew that there would be a documentary about their life. The father is the one that is accused of being a pedophile and his sons are dragged through the mud with him and the mother has to make the best decisions for her self and family. There are a lot of witnesses and there is so many different stories of what happens and different stories of who the father really is, but this documentary keeps you watching because you know someone is lying. The subject is a hard one to bare, but the documentary sheds the light on the psychology of a society on a touchy subject such as this.

If Arnold didn't do anything, where was the rage? Why wasn't he pounding his fists on every table he could find, furiously proclaiming his innocence? Instead he'd just sit there like a lump, seemingly dissociated from his surroundings, as his sons jumped through hoops to defend him.It was painful seeing beautiful-eyed David going about his business as a clown in the face of the anguish his family was experiencing. Later some Internet research revealed that he can be a sardonic clown indeed (and he's the most successful and probably priciest birthday-party clown in New York City). The younger males in this family were always clowning and roughhousing around, probably as an unconscious defense against the leaden depression in the home, with its closeted-homosexual, pedophile father and lied-to mom who was rejected from the boys' club and stuck in a joyless marriage.So much about Arnold seemed encapsulated in the interview given by Jesse's lawyer, who revealed that Arnold admitted to having been aroused by a young boy in the jail=house interview room. Absolutely stunning material.I almost jumped out of my seat (with joy) during the epilogue when I learned about the mother's life following Jesse's imprisonment. And yet the mother-son hug at their reunion was entirely believable.This documentary leaves many striking characters in mind. How intriguing that the uncle's homosexuality was left until practically the penultimate frame. And I was left wondering about his relationship, if any, with his nephews. Was the lack of any apparent interaction a function only of his living on the West Coast? And his handling of Arnold's talk of having "messed around" seemed part of the understatement that defined his older brother. Very odd, indeed.The death of he and Arnold's sister, at only 8, by lead poisoning, was an extremely troubling and unexpected point that should definitely have been explained further. Those ghostly film clips of her ballet will haunt me...But caveats like these detract only scarcely from a fully compelling film.