Analysis of Capturing the Friedmans

At its most basic, Capturing the Friedmans presents facts about Arnold Friedman and his youngest son, Jesse, who were arrested and charged with committed repeated acts of sexual abuse on boys who attended computer classes taught by Arnold Friedman in his basement at home. According to critic David Denby (2003), the story of events that take place in the Friedman home, located in Great Neck, Long Island, was presented with tact, dedication, and respect for the mysteries of family life. The five Friedmans (father, mother, and three sons) are therefore the key "characters" in the film.

Denby (2003) maintains that the movie owes its existence to the Friedmans' habit

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s are primarily expository and participatory. The expository elements of the film include many interviews with members of the Friedmans nuclear and extended family, with law enforcement officials, and with the alleged victims of molestation. The participatory elements of the documentary include the home movies made by the Friedmans, particularly the post-trial videos made by David Friedman who becomes an important voice representing the entire family. However, to add interest and to increase the dramatic quotient of the film, Jarecki "chops up interviews and found footage into bite-sized piecesà. Thus, individual statements are placed in, at times contradictory, dialogue across the cut (Arthur, 2003, p. 6)." Voiceovers, sit-down interviews, verite footage, archival footage, and montage are among the documentary techniques used to tell the story. As Nichols (2001) suggests, these various forms of representation are used to provide a variety of different perspectives in the film. Jarecki's intent is clearly to move beyond a strict focus on the family and the family's understanding of itself and its situation. As Arthur (2003) suggests, the structure of the film doles out its information in a manner that is intended to build
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1891
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)