According to Bill Nichols (2001), every film is essentially a documentary but true documentaries as opposed to wish fulfillment fictions represent a unique genre of film that engages with the world as it exists in reality. Nichols (2001) says that documentary engages with the world by representing it in one of three ways. First, documentaries offer alikeness or depiction of the world that bears a recognizable familiarity. Secondly, these films stand for or represent the interests of others. Third, some documentaries may represent the world in the same way that a lawyer represents a client's interests by putting forth the case for a particular view or interpretation of evidence. Each of these criteria applies to Andrew Jarecki's 2003 film titled 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 of constantly memorializing themselves in films, tapes, and photographs that span the lifetime of Arnold Friedman and his wife and sons. The film demonstrates that the sons and their father shared a bond which did not include Elaine Friedman, a reserved woman who resists the pranks that are captured on film in her home.
Elvis Mitchell (2003) defined the essence of the film as the middle class American obsession with documenting family life. The film created by Jarecki was actually assembl...