It's fascinating watching a documentary that quietly asks you to feel like a paedophile has been the victim of unjust accusations. Not that he isn't a paedophile, just that the sheer extremity of what he apparently did was exaggerated. As for the son that was implicated, that's just horrible. I was also really interested in the way the story hit the people of the 70s, since they didn't have the "paedophiles lurk in every corner!" media statements that we have now.

This is a complex and fascinating case and family. There are so many angles covered. Not only do we learn about the case, but there are several clips of the family that give us an intimate look into their lives. By the end, you really don't and can't know the truth. If you approach it with an open-mind and consider all the evidence, you will inevitably flip back and forth about whether or not he/they were guilty. Also, the NY jewish banter makes the film feel like a Woody Allen black comedy.

Masterpiece of a documentary, this shows just how powerful an alternative take on the genre can be. Abandoning the troublesome "make-reality-fit-narration" schema, Capturing the Friedmans is a "did he do it" that evokes the spirit of Rashomon. Rather than jumping to conclusions the story respects and displays the different views and motives, to finally show a great problem with democracy: It all comes down to what people saw - or think they saw.

Well made and one of the more disturbing films I've seen.

It's like the story of Roger Clemens if there was any doubt that he had indeed raped that kid.

Extremely wellcrafted and moving documentary that manages to -well- capture a really unique family, as it slowly disintegrates. And even though its not too hard to figure out where the director sympathies lay, he still gives enough time to counterarguments and different versions of the truth, to make the audience question what really happens...

Disturbing as all hell. However, it's a little on the lengthy side, which makes the back and forth become somewhat repetative.

Very good, very disturbing.

E pensar que a idéia original de Jarecki era fazer um documentário sobre palhaços de NY e acabou sendo um relato sobre uma mistura tão complexa quanto pedofilia, mídia, moral, consciêcia e família.

I am not a big fan of documentaries, but this is absolutely amazing. The film treats its subject with the objectivity it deserves, and therefore you are constantly changing opinion of what actually went on.

A well-made documentary that will leave you repulsed, but with a mere inkling of doubt as to the guiltiness of one or both of its main subjects.

While it doesn't give you answers and reveals itself to be a little one sided it is fascinating to watch a messed up family dynamic go through what is shown in the film. It also raises some interesting questions about emotional reactions to horrible crimes.

It's pretty obvious these people are guilty, I don't understand the confusion among reviews I've read. I mean, Arnold admits to molesting 2 boys at least (which is enough to warrant him to be stoned to death) plus his brother, who later turns out to be gay... SHOCKING. Pedophiles are the scum of the universe and it disgusts me knowing that Jesse only gets 13 years for sodomizing all these people. Fucking sick.

Unflinching look at a family embroiled in a dark and sordid crisis, and their reaction to the spectacle and each other. A "normal" documentary would ONLY be concerned with the question, "Are these people guilty?" And although the filmmakers DO spend some time addressing that issue, even more time is spent asking the (more interesting) question, "How in the hell do you arrive at the truth?" A very potent synthesis of E. Morris' great "Thin Blue Line",and the lesser-known "51 Birch Street".

Very uncomfortable to watch and I wouldn't want to see it a 2nd time, but as far as documentaries go, it's pretty amazing. Not only did Jarecki have a great topic, but the footage that the family themselves took of their own breakdown...you can't get any better than that. I love when families in crisis turn the camera on themselves. It's fascinating. I don't know what to believe about the allegations, but I like that you get to decide for yourself and both sides are presented. Makes you think.

No1's what they seem in this brilliantly crafted investigation into pedo accusations against superficially white-picket-fence family.The film proves innocence and guilt almost simultaneously: whileRadecki's digging seems to indicate that the specific allegations are false, the dirt uncovered is just as bad.Community hysteria&family's reactions2 the allegations initially surprise, but are real-life demonstration of how people(on both sides)believe what they want/need2 believe, evidence be damned

Nice Documentary

Fucked up, and makes you feel a lot, but its convoluted in it's tale.

Very powerful doc.

Hulk Hogan and the Iron Sheik, sitting in a tree, W-R-E-S-T-L-I-N-G

Pretty disturbing but at the same time rather endearing in its humanity and readiness to spare us the outrage. It isn't perfectly balanced but comes close enough, and it deliberately fluctuates as it slowly unravels, toying with your expectations and hurried conclusions. Most notably it is calm and collected and makes its viewers face the fact that a pedophile, whether innocent or guilty of criminal acts, can be just a person with a family that depends on him and not a stereotypical monster.

I was not familiar with the story but it was still intriguing to watch. But as a documentary it is very one-sided, and I would like to have seen some more digging into certain facts and aspects of what was supposed to have happened and what certain people did or said.

I wish the director sought clarity as to what happened instead of merely planting doubt on all sides by giving equal time to sources of unequal reliability. He is fuzzy when dealing with details of the crimes and clearly biased in his presentation of the victims. A longer runtime would've allowed more details and analysis, but might have made for a less entertaining film. That said, it is an exceptional look at family dynamics during a period of crisis.