Capturing the Friedmans Literary Elements

Capturing the Friedmans Literary Elements

Director

Andrew Jarecki

Leading Actors/Actresses

No actors or actresses; this is a documentary film in which the featured characters are themselves. The protagonists are Arnold, and Jesse Friedman

Supporting Actors/Actresses

David Friedman, Elaine Friedman

Genre

Documentary Film

Language

English

Awards

Sundance Jury Award, Academy Award nomination in the Best Documentary Film category

Date of Release

May 2003

Producer

Andrew Jarecki, Marc Smerling

Setting and Context

Great Neck, New York, in the late 1980s

Narrator and Point of View

The point of view seems to be that of both the public looking on at the events, and also that of Jesse Friedman whose guilt or innocence is never really stated from a production standpoint, although it is from a legal one.

Tone and Mood

Disturbing in tone, the mood is one of argumentativeness and denial.

Protagonist and Antagonist

The boys abused by the Friedmans are the protagonists, Arnold and Jesse the antagonists.

Major Conflict

There is conflict between Arnold and his wife Elaine shortly after charges are filed; she wants him to admit to the charges so that their son Jesse will receive a lighter sentence.

Climax

Both Arnold and Jesse are found guilty and imprisoned for their crimes.

Foreshadowing

Arnold's confession that he abused his younger brother when just a teen foreshadows his later child molestation crimes.

Understatement

Both Arnold and Jesse seem to understate their crimes. Both imply that they admitted to molesting children to help their own case rather than because they were actually guilty.

Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques

N/A

Allusions

The introduction of David Friedman, aka Silly Billy, into the film alludes to John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer who dressed up as a clown in order to lure his child victims to their death.

Paradox

Jesse claims that any abuse he might have committed is a result of his being abused by his father as a child; however, neither of his brothers committed any pedophilia or molestation

Parallelism

There is a parallel between Arnold's actions and those of his son Jesse.

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