History Film / CapturingTheFriedmans

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[[caption-width-right:300:"''Series/MyThreeSons'' they were not."]]

[[caption-width-right:300:"''Series/MyThreeSons they were not."]]

In TheEighties, the Friedmans of Great Neck, Long Island -- father and respected computer and music teacher Arnold, mother and housewife Elaine, and their three grown sons, David, Seth and Jesse -- are seemingly your typical middle class American family. They all admit that the marriage was by no means close to being harmonious - Arnold and Elaine eventually divorced - but the sons talk of their father as being a good man. This façade of respectability masks the fact that Arnold was buying and distributing child pornography.

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[[caption-width-right:350:"My three sons they were not."]]

''Capturing the Friedmans'' is a documentary film directed by Andrew Jarecki. In TheEighties, the Friedmans - father and respected computer and music teacher Arnold, mother and housewife Elaine, and their three grown sons, David, Seth and Jesse - of Great Neck, Long Island, are seemingly your typical middle class American family. They all admit that the marriage was by no means close to being harmonious - Arnold and Elaine eventually divorced - but the sons talk of their father as being a good man. This façade of respectability masks the fact that Arnold was buying and distributing child pornography.

[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]

->''"My dad was a cool guy, you know?. He was a schoolteacher. And I think that the other kids liked him, and he liked kids."''

* DysfunctionalFamily: Even before Arnold's true nature was revealed, the Friedman family was not doing while.

Following a sting operation, the authorities investigated Arnold for sexual abuse of underage male students of his computer classes, which he held in the basement of the family home. Based on interviews with the students, not only was Arnold charged with and ultimately convicted of multiple counts of sodomy and sexual abuse, but so was eighteen year old Jesse, who was mentioned by many as the aggressor of the two in the acts. Arnold admitted that he was a pedophile, but that he did not abuse the boys in his class as claimed. The trial process brought out the dysfunction that previously existed within the family.

Following a sting operation to confirm this fact, the authorities investigated Arnold for sexual abuse of underage male students of his computer classes, which he held in the basement of the family home. Based on interviews with the students, not only was Arnold charged with and ultimately convicted of multiple counts of sodomy and sexual abuse, but so was eighteen year old Jesse, who was mentioned by many as the aggressor of the two in the acts. Arnold admitted that he was a pedophile, but that he did not abuse the boys in his class as claimed. The trial process brought out the dysfunction that previously existed within the family.

Following a sting operation to confirm this fact, the authorities investigated Arnold for sexual abuse of underage male students of his computer classes, which he held in the basement of the family home. Based on interviews with the students, not only was Arnold charged with and ultimately convicted of multiple counts of sodomy and sexual abuse, but so was eighteen year old Jesse, who was mentioned by many as the aggressor of the two in the acts. Arnold admitted that he was a pedophile, but that he did not abuse the boys in his class as charged and convicted. The trial process brought out the dysfunction that previously existed within the family.

''Capturing the Friedmans'' is a documentary film directed by Andrew Jarecki. In TheEighties, the Friedmans - father and respected computer and music teacher Arnold, mother and housewife Elaine, and their three grown sons, David, Seth and Jesse - of Great Neck, Long Island, are seemingly your typical middle class American family. They all admit that the marriage was by no means close to being harmonious - Arnold and Elaine eventually divorced - but the sons talk of their father, while also not being always there for them, as being a good man. This façade of respectability masks the fact that Arnold was buying and distributing child pornography.

''Capturing the Friedmans'' is a documentary film directed by Andrew Jarecki. In TheEighties, the Friedmans - father and respected computer and music teacher Arnold, mother and housewife Elaine, and their three grown sons, David, Seth and Jesse - of Great Neck, Long Island, are seemingly your typical middle class American family. They all admit that the marriage was by no means close to being harmonious - Arnold and Elaine eventually got divorced - but the sons talk of their father, while also not being always there for them, as being a good man. This façade of respectability masks the fact that Arnold was buying and distributing child pornography.

Following a sting operation to confirm this fact, the authorities began to investigate Arnold for sexual abuse of the minor-aged male students of his computer classes, which he held in the basement of the family home. Based on interviews with the students, not only was Arnold charged with and ultimately convicted of multiple counts of sodomy and sexual abuse of these boys but so was eighteen year old Jesse, who was mentioned by many as the aggressor of the two in the acts. Arnold admitted that he is a pedophile, but that he did not abuse the boys in his class as charged and convicted. The trial process brought out the dysfunction that previously existed within the family. But the issue of Arnold and Jesse's guilt of these acts is hotly debated among the family, among the authorities, among the media and among the students of the computer classes.

Incredibly, the Friedmans took home videos before and during the entire ordeal.

''Capturing the Friedmans'' is a documentary film directed by Andrew Jarecki. In the late 1980's, the Friedmans - father and respected computer and music teacher Arnold, mother and housewife Elaine, and their three grown sons, David, Seth and Jesse - of Great Neck, Long Island, are seemingly your typical middle class American family. They all admit that the marriage was by no means close to being harmonious - Arnold and Elaine eventually got divorced - but the sons talk of their father, while also not being always there for them, as being a good man. This façade of respectability masks the fact that Arnold was buying and distributing child pornography.

Capturing the Friedmans is a documentary film directed by Andrew Jarecki. In the late 1980's, the Friedmans - father and respected computer and music teacher Arnold Friedman, mother and housewife Elaine Friedman, and their three grown sons, David Friedman, Seth Friedman and Jesse Friedman - of Great Neck, Long Island, are seemingly your typical middle class American family. They all admit that the marriage was by no means close to being harmonious - Arnold and Elaine eventually got divorced - but the sons talk of their father, while also not being always there for them, as being a good man. This façade of respectability masks the fact that Arnold was buying and distributing child pornography. Following a sting operation to confirm this fact, the authorities began to investigate Arnold for sexual abuse of the minor-aged male students of his computer classes, which he held in the basement of the family home. Based on interviews with the students, not only was Arnold charged with and ultimately convicted of multiple counts of sodomy and sexual abuse of these boys but so was eighteen year old Jesse, who was mentioned by many as the aggressor of the two in the acts. Arnold admitted that he is a pedophile, but that he did not abuse the boys in his class as charged and convicted. The trial process brought out the dysfunction that previously existed within the family. But the issue of Arnold and Jesse's guilt of these acts is hotly debated among the family, among the authorities, among the media and among the students of the computer classes.

* NiceGuy: Howard Friedman is consistently rational, good-natured and sympathetic.