Who do you believe?
An Oscar nominated documentary about a middle-class American family who is torn apart when the father Arnold and son Jesse are accused of sexually abusing numerous children. Director Jarecki interviews people from different sides of this tragic story and raises the question of whether they were rightfully tried when they claim they were innocent and there was never any evidence against them.
Capturing the Friedmans (2003) is a documentary and crime film directed by Andrew Jarecki, released on May 30, 2003 with a runtime of 1h 47m. It stars Arnold Friedman, Elaine Friedman, David Friedman and Jesse Friedman. Viewers rate it 7.1 out of 10 across 370 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Capturing the Friedmans before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for Capturing the Friedmans.
Trailer
Trailer
Featurette
Arnold Friedman
as Self (archive footage)
Elaine Friedman
as Self
David Friedman
as Self
Jesse Friedman
as Self
Seth Friedman
as Self (archive footage)
John McDermott
as Self - Postal Inspector
Frances Galasso
as Self - Ret. Director, Sex Crimes Unit
Anthony Sgueglia
as Self - Detective, Sex Crimes Unit
Joseph Onorato
as Self - Asst. District Attorney
Judd Martin
as Self - Jesse's Best Friend in High School
Howard Friedman
as Self - Arnold's Brother
Ron Georgalis
as Self - Former Computer Student
Directed by Andrew Jarecki, produced by Marc Smerling and Andrew Jarecki.
Average viewer score of 7.1/10 from 370 ratings.
The Friedmans are your stereotypical aspirational middle-American family with a mum, a dad and three brothers. Arnold is the dad: a pillar of the local community and music teacher; Elaine is the stay-at-home mother and Sam, David and Jesse are their children. They have a spacious home and are keen on making home movies to celebrate just about any occasion. Then their world comes apart at the seams. The authorities…
Reviewed on June 21, 2026
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Capturing the Friedmans (2003) is available to stream on HBO Max Amazon Channel. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of Capturing the Friedmans (2003) includes Arnold Friedman, Elaine Friedman, David Friedman, Jesse Friedman and Seth Friedman. The film was directed by Andrew Jarecki. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Capturing the Friedmans was released on May 30, 2003 and runs for 1h 47m.
Capturing the Friedmans (2003) holds an average rating of 7.1 out of 10 from 370 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy documentary and crime films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Capturing the Friedmans trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
