On Thanksgiving 1987, Arnold Friedman, a Long Island schoolteacher who gives computer lessons in his basement, was arrested for posession of child pornography. Subsequently, Arnold and Jesse, the youngest of his three sons, were charged with sexually assaulting preteen boys. The Friedmans recorded their lives on film and video before, during, and after the arrest and prosecution. These family videos, as well as interviews with the family and many involved in the legal case, are used by Mr. Jarecki to chart the complex and shifting relationships between them. It is a valuable tool for illustrating a variety of topics not easily understood and rarely regarded in popular culture:

The uses and meaning of performance for the Friedmans specifically and for society in general. The oldest son states at one point that he is videotaping so he "doesn't have to remember what happened" in the future. Arnold and sons' constant performing in front of the camera antagonizes and isolates mum Elaine. Jesse dances and prances in front of the camera prior to incarceration, which I interpreted as tension-relief but cops see as proof he has no remorse. "Performance seems both a symptom of the family's complex misery and a form of treatment for it" (Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader).

The family videos provide an opportunity to observe the dynamics of dysfunctional family interaction; what happens when the primary alliance within a family is not the adult couple but parent-child(ren). We witness Arnold, who admits being a pedophile, behaving as though he was "one of the boys" to the detriment of his marriage and overall family stability. We ponder the generational transmission of behavioral pathology when Arnold writes to a journalist about witnessing his single mother having sex with men in the next bed. The film also shows how the human mind, when confronted by traumatic events, is capable of "forgetting" something that happened (through repression and compartmentalizing) and "remembering" something that did not. Like Bergman's SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE (Ingmar is currently editing its sequel!), the film is of great value to anyone interested in psychology and human behavior.

The film documents how the justice system is often more interested in obtaining evidence leading to a conviction than to actually attempting to find the truth. The use of leading questions and other interview techniques often results in false testimony, as it happens here (which does not prove Arnold and Jesse are innocent). Several cases like the Friedmans have resulted in changes in the ways these investigations are currently carried out, at least in several States. CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS illustrates the development of community or mass hysteria (just like Carl Dreyer did in his classic DAY OF WRATH).

Jarecki's presentation of the material presents an opportunity to monitor how opinions are formed based on partial, insufficient information. We see something that "confirms" that something happened (or didn't). Later something is shown or said that shakes our confidence in our initial impression. Jarecki seems to be warning us against rushing to form firm opinions.