Catfish

Is it real? Is it fake? Were scenes reenacted? Is it overly manipulative? Was it scripted? These questions revolve around the film Catfish but I am not going to address them here. I am skipping them because the movie is entertaining regardless of its authenticity. This documentary is a very perceptive commentary on the world we live in today in relation to the social networks we use to feel more connected than we really are.

Disclaimer: This movie is difficult to review without spoilers. I will attempt to be as spoiler free as possible, but this may result in a vagueness I would not usually want to employ.

The plot revolves around three roommates: Nev, a photographer in his twenties, his older brother, and his friend. Nev’s older brother and his roommate decide to start documenting him when he develops a relationship with Abby over Facebook. Abby is an eight-year-old artist who begins painting his photographs. Through Abby, he develops an online relationship with many of her family members, particularly her older sister Megan. At this point, Catfish turns into a mystery that deals with identity, truth, and the ways we present ourselves to people in an increasingly alienating world. One of the film’s producers is documentarian Andrew Jarecki who made one of my favorite (and most disturbing) documentaries, Capturing the Friedmans.

The film’s first act is wonderfully edited. It only uses a combination of Facebook, YouTube videos and Google Maps to move along the narrative. The rest of the film is more of a traditional documentary following the three protagonists (the photographer, his brother, and their roommate) on a road trip to meet Abby, Megan, and the rest of the family.

Catfish has been referred to as “the other Facebook movie”. It is interesting that 2010 produced two well made, thought provoking films about the social network that is a part of so many people’s lives. The movie ends with a monologue that gives the film its title but it also leaves the viewer wondering how they should feel about the film’s protagonists and the film as a whole.

I highly recommend spending an hour and a half watching Catfish. It will give you plenty to think about and discuss.