Capturing the Friedmans, 2003 Very good documentary studying something as simple and complex as an average American family. Of chorse this particular American family has 2 men accused of raping dozens of boys over a period of several years. This movie does a great job of jerking you back and forth. At first you'll be positive they're guilty, than positive they're innocent, than positive that the dad is guilty but the son is innocent, than you'll think they're both guilty but the charges are exaggerated. And in the end you have no more of an idea of the truth than you did when you started. This is a very interesting way to do a documentary, but it leaves you feeling stragely unsatisfied. Documentaries usually have an assertion about something, and try to prove that assurtion. I don't think the film makers have any more of an idea about the truth in this case than I do. And while I hate to say that I like to be told what to think, when I'm watching a documentary, I kind of like to be told what to think... and than decide later if I want to think that way or not. This was just barrels full of contradicting information from many different sources. Thus the movie was innovative, fascinating, but slightly less enjoyable than it could have been. 6/10, 32nd out of 71 movies for 2003, 461st overall
Review of Capturing the Friedmans
