Capturing the Friedmans

This movie was extremely unexpected. It is startling both in the theme (pedophilia) and the way it's presented (home movies and personal interviews). As for the title of the movie, it obviously has to do with capturing the family dynamics on film and in real life, since the father, Arnold, turned out to be a pedophile. The subject matter in itself is pretty intense, but it's made still more striking by the fact that it's all in homemovies, which makes it not only real, but absolutely true.

When compared the the Johnathan Caouette film, Tarnation, the same principle applies; the movies are more emotional, more dificult to watch because they are so intimate. However, the Caouette film is an auto-ethnography in that it is one man telling his story and showing the viewer his culture from his point of view, much like a native anthropologist. The Jarecki film was from an outsider's point of view, so it is not as intimate, but the objective-exposing a suburban scandal-was still accomplished.