Home Movies/Capturing the Friedman's

If I, or any other outsider for that matter, were to view any of Michelle Citron's "Home Movies" without any of the background information that she provides in this piece, I would assume that everyone in the videos are happy. I would also have been wrong.

To each viewer, a home movie can have a different effect. This is especially true between a viewer with no ties to the images on the film, and a viewer with ties. Take "The Promenade" video for example. To an outsider like me, this video shows nothing but a happy family parading around for the camera. But to Citron, these images remind her of a dark past. She mentions that at the time this video was shot, she wanted to die. To me, what I see on this video is what I get. But to Citron, these images bring back all the behind-the-scenes drama taking place in her life at the time.

It is evident that even before viewing this video, Citron does not think kindly on this era of her life. She states that her memory of her family at the time is different than what the images show. What she recalls is that her mother is overweight and depressed, her sister is pretty, and that she, herself, is ugly. The images show something different. In the video, Citron and her sister are both pretty, and the mother is happy and in good health. I believe that the reason Citron had such a sour memory of her and her mother at this specific time in her life, is because of how she felt psychologically. Since she was so depressed at the time of "The Promenade," and since she wanted to die, her memory of herself is negative. This is why she remembered herself as ugly when it wasn't true. The same goes for her mother. Citron states that she resented her mother. This is why her memory paints a negative picture of her as well.

Citron's point is that although home movies are usually made for the purpose of fond memories and pleasant recollection, sometimes they can cause the opposite emotions. As we have seen, home movies can do this on their own. But the impact can be greater when they are used in this light by a filmmaker purposely trying to attain that effect for dramatic reasons.

In Andrew Jarecki's "Capturing the Friedman's," home movies are used to help illustrate the story of the Friedman family from Great Neck. Arnold Friedman and his three sons are shown in most of their home movies as a loving family. The mother never seems to be part of this tight group (as she, herself, later states). In the films, everyone is roughhousing around and having a good time. But what these certain films can't show, are the disturbing secrets of Arnold Friedman and his son, Jesse. This is where Jarecki goes for his dramatic effect. He plays the happy moments onscreen, while the family's voice over commentary tells their grim tale. It is a very effective form of film making. One of the most well done scenes is when there is a still shot of the four Friedman men smiling with their arms around each other. While we see this, we hear these same four men arguing vehemently about their family's new criminal situation.

Like Citron's movies, viewing this footage alone without any background information doesn't give the total picture. We see a man with his children having a good time. Only Arnold Friedman knows what else was going on at this time. And I wonder if, like Citron, viewing his happy family footage brought back negative memories.