Review of Capturing the Friedmans (2003) by Rich B — 30 Sep 2004

Capturing the Friedman?s (2003) ? "We were a family." - Elaine.

This is a documentary filmed 16 years after a father and son, living in an upscale community in Long Island, were accused of child molestation. It is a collection of news footage, interviews and, most remarkably, video footage shot by the family itself as it unraveled under the stress and strain of the trial. It is stark insight into the seething caldron of fear that exists within our hearts, which, under the right conditions, boils over into hysteria and unleashes a collective madness that sweeps away everything in its path.

Andrew Jericki?s 107-minute documentary is near horrifying in scope. It was impossible to tell who was telling the truth and who was not. Whether it was the police, the judges, the attorneys, the victims, or the accused, each spoke with a voice altered by the fever of bloodlust, helplessness, or fear. In the end, there was only one thing I knew for sure. Hysteria takes no prisoners. No matter if you are innocent or guilty, victim or victimized, when you are the object of hysteria, you don?t have a prayer.