Capturing the Friedmans is a documentary about a Jewish family of teachers and entertainers that were the middle of a sexual abuse and molestation trial. They were all respected in their community but when their father and brother are suspected of molesting children in their home the family begins to break apart. The sons in the family believe the father is innocent despite all the evidence against him while viewing their mom as a harpy for not trusting or believing in their father.
Something that comes up in the movie is how the mother could be married to heir father for thirty plus years and not be suspicious of what is going on. Herzog says "This bottle filled with water was their proof for the village that there really was an ocean. I asked cautiously whether it wasn’t just a part of the truth. No, they said, if there is a bottle of seawater, then the whole ocean must be true as well.", what the wife knew as the truth is what she believed. Everyone saw what appeared to be a good man and everyone believed that image.
This movies tells two sides of a family divided both of which believe thy know the truth. This documentary acts as a catalyst to make us feel sympathetic for the family while not questioning the fathers guilt. Everyone has their own truths and clearly the sons can't see their father as guilty. as the view we pick sides based on ecstatic truth "The soul of the listener or the spectator completes this act itself; the soul actualizes truth through the experience of sublimity: that is, it completes an independent act of creation. Longinus says: For our soul is raised out of nature through the truly sublime, sways with high spirits, and is filled with proud joy, as it itself had created what it hears." and we in a since create our own truth.
It is interesting to think about the fact that everyones 'truth' is different. each human being looks at the world in a slightly different light, and documentaries help individuals to show their view, or truth, in a very direct way. By showing the members of the families different views of the trial and their different conclusions, this documentary helps explain that. Like the quote you added of Longinus, each individuals soul creates a truth and the person connected to that soul follows that. granted, i think it is also important to point out that exterior powers will also help to shape any individuals truth and view of a situation.
ReplyDeleteThere are many different cultures. Each culture is different. Each culture has a different political code, dress code, music, religion, and many more. Therefore, the way I view these people may be different from the way you view them. I agree each perons perspective should be view to better understand any situation.
ReplyDeleteThere are many different cultures. Each culture is different. Each culture has a different political code, dress code, music, religion, and many more. Therefore, the way I view these people may be different from the way you view them. I agree each perons perspective should be view to better understand any situation.
ReplyDeleteIt's a fact that what we believe to be true can often times be in direct opposition to hard evidence showing it to be false. This seems to be the case with this documentary. This is quite similar to religion and the power of faith. Many people believe that it is unquestionably true that over two thousand years ago a woman became pregnant without ever having sex, despite real world direct scientific evidence proving this to be impossible. Without having seen the documentary, I can say with much certainty that it wouldn't have mattered the amount of evidence against the father, the sons would've stuck to their own "truth" regardless.
ReplyDeleteIts hard to let go of what you have been lead to believe all your life and this idea of not believing a father did bad or not puts me in the mind of when someone dies, everyone automatically edits anything bad about that person and only focuses on the good that they can think of and even if they were a genuinely bad person they automatically are catapulted to a sainthood, either taken to young or they lived so long cause they did so much good. And any real talk of how they were living and their flaws is just disgraceful even if its the truth. What happened, happened and that is all the evidence you that is needed and unfortunately a lot of people overlook truth for their own version.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is interesting to think that everyone's realities can be different. Despite what we know, we can pick and choose what we believe. I know that I personally have things in my life that I try to ignore. When others question us we often become in denial, like it seems the characters in Capturing the Friedman's were.
ReplyDeleteTruth can be described as the fullness of all combined facts, so if two people have different truths about a particular topic, one or both parties does not have a full picture of the subject at hand. For example, the water in the bottle is definitely not the grandiose, deep ocean itself, yet it is the ocean in substance and particles. The bottle is a representation/symbol/summary of the ocean. It is both a part of the ocean and truly the ocean. So, yes, a part can work as the truth, but to consider it the total fullness of the idea would still be false. Someone can clearly be in the wrong, though attaining PART of the truth, if hypothetically arguing which body of water is the ocean, if between the bottle of ocean water or the Pacific.
ReplyDeleteDocumentaries can be a wonderful way to experience and learn about cultures, science, the world, etc. It is very interesting when a documentary can become so real while you watch it. We all have different views and truths we stand by. Regardless of the situation, we may lie to ourselves to make everything seem better. Even though, behind closed doors it is a nightmarish hell. I agree with Robert in that there was millions of people that believed that a woman got pregnant without having sex... Even though that's scientifically impossible maybe chose to believe it.
ReplyDeleteBelief is an important factor in anything. While people say that if the wife said there was a bottle it must be an ocean, this is not necessarily true. She could have her own motives or being misunderstanding herself. If someone said my parents molested someone I would be hard pressed to believe it. It's hard to know what was true and what was assumed between the family, but this does display the fact that belief can always affect the perception of truth. Things that are viewed as facts often are lies. This possible misinterpretation of the truth and way that reality can seem to lie is directly about "documentary" truth
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