6 Documentaries That Could Change Your Life

5) Capturing the Friedmans

Another documentary that challenges initial impressions of a person, the whole question of judging a book by its cover, Capturing the Friedmans is a startling tale of a seemingly ordinary New York family that becomes the center of an investigation into horrific child pornography and sexual abuse. There are all sorts of twists and turns to the case, and director Andrew Jarecki includes a great amount of home videos of the Friedman family before and after the investigation and trial, attracting sympathy for the family while also not shying away from the disturbing nature of the alleged abuses.

It’s also not a film that shies away from ambiguity and uncertainty. The early impressions of the Friedmans which are seemingly positive are quickly challenged, but any subsequent conclusions about their innocence or reprehensibility are challenged even further. Finding easy answers to any questions posed by the documentary is seemingly impossible. The final impression seems to be that you can apprehend whoever you deem to be the perpetrators of terrible acts, but capturing the truth of such occurrences is a much more elusive task.