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I now own it on BluRay. And yes, it is still a good bit of fun.

It's nice having your opinion change, isn't it? A film you thought was crap when you saw it a couple of years ago might turn out to be brilliant when you see it again. The ending of a book might make all the trouble getting there seem worth it as everything snaps into place. A great article might make you consider another angle at something you hold to be true, and a good review might make you love something even more than you already did.

There's been a slew of films lately about group pressure, horrid real-life crimes, the reactions people had to them and what ensued afterward. I'm talking here of the documentary The Imposter, as well as the two fictional films Compliance and the danish The Hunt. Now, this documentary isn't new, but it features, among others, these themes. At the center of it is a dysfunctional family where the father is hiding a secret. A secret that comes out and later involves police, lawyers and judges. That's really all you should know before you see this film. It's all I'm going to tell you about the "plot".

Like these other films (at least to a certain extent) Capturing the Friedmans operates in muddy waters. It lets us see nearly every aspect of the story; every aspect of the truth. And, like Sarah Polley's recent (and brilliant and wonderful) Stories We Tell (which also deals with a dysfunctional family and a secret, though in an entirely different ballpark than here), Capturing the Friedmans let's everyone tell their version of the truth, their interpretation of events, what they think happened, what they "know" happened. And while in Stories We Tell, you're left with a narrative that makes sense while it doesn't - different people experience things differently, memories are hazy and such, but you still know what happened - while watching Capturing the Friedmans you grow unsure of just about everything. It's not heartwarming, like Polley's documentary about family, stories and their telling. It's excrutiating.

Here you're able to feel your opinions of people, your interpretation of events, change. In real time. It's, quite frankly, very, very frightening. But, weirdly, it helps the film; by the end, you're left with not knowing what the hell just happened, the knowledge being that what you think is just your interpretation of the evidence, of the case, of these people and their story.

The film doesn't take sides. It ridicules and exposes everyone, it lets them speak their mind, then compares it to all the other versions of the truth. It's documentary filmmaking at its finest, bound to kickstart endless discussions about what truth is and what really happened, about the legal system and how the police should handle cases, interviews and investigations like this, about what was wrong with this family, how they broke apart and came together again - at least a little. Its closing minutes manage to be something close to heartwarming and just a little bit hopeful, which is incredibly strange considering the subject matter and everything that's happened before it. These people weren't saints, sure, but by no means did the deserve to go through this. No one does.

Capturing the Friedmans is a tragedy. It's something of a slow-moving traincrash (the most clichéd metaphor ever, but still very fitting) as the minutes tick by and things get progressively worse and worse and worse and worse, even when you think that it can't possibly get any. More aspects of the traincrash is dug up, the passengers lives are investigated, their reason for being on the train in the first place is uncovered and the story (stories?) takes on new meaning, new aspects, it gets more complex while in free-fall down to the worst parts of humanity, all while you're left contemplating the events, making up your mind and changing it as new evidence comes in. It's a rush. But it's also important.

I cannot recommend this film enough. It feels a bit too slow in places, but that's just because it's taking a mild break before throwing even worse stuff at you. No matter what the truth is and what really happened, there's not a doubt in my mind that this is, for everyone involved, a huge clusterfuck of a tragedy, no matter how you look at it. If we're meant to repeat the past, this is one of the cases I beg we'll never forget, even if I know similar things have happened multiple times. But please... Never again.

See this film. Help humanity. Test your truths.

This is like an episode of Downton Abbey only duller. With a cast this good and with the potential for a "Gosford Park" style ensemble piece this fell flat from the off.
Jessica Biel is always worth watching. Lets face it she's more than easy on the eye and with support from the outstanding Kristin Scott Thomas this should have been great. Based on Noel Coward's play of the same name this did have comedic moments which unfortunately weren't enough to bring this period drama to life. Coward's music and it's jazz overtones bring little to a script as clunky as a prison wardens keys.
Biel tries hard and holds her own against her more illustrious British stalwart but it just doesn't gel.Playing the American "floozy" and new wife of an English country ladies oldest son,Biel shocks and stirs things immediately.Kristin Scott Thomas is the matriarchal mother who spars frequently with her new daughter-in-law in a role perfect for her. Colin Firth is on the fringe of things as her husband and it took over an hour for him to offer anything to proceedings. Comic relief however does come in the shape of under-rated British comedienne Katherine Parkinson and an amusing turn from Kris Marshall as Furber the butler.
Not the greatest period comedy I've ever seen but Biel as ever is worth the watch if only for that dress she wears at the closing family party.Wow.