Catfish: mysterious, gripping and riveting
By James Hill III
"Don't let anyone tell you what it is."This succinct tagline for the internet-centric documentary "Catfish" very accurately sums up the appeal of this surprising film. The less you know about it, the better, which makes this a difficult review to write. In case the tagline and that last sentence weren't clear enough, this entire review will essentially be, in some way, a spoiler. You have been warned.
I could never bring myself to spoil the astonishing conclusion, but I will comment on the film as a whole. My honest recommendation is to see this film now, before you read any further; don't read its Wikipedia page, don't Google it, don't ask around and read my review later. Just see it. But, if you can't bear to go into a film blind (especially one where the seemingly-inexplicable title isn't explained until the last five minutes), I'll give you some background first to outline to this rich story.
Catfish manages to intrigue, stun and shock while accurately commenting on the age we "digital natives" live in. College students especially are almost constantly connected to the online world. We use Facebook to connect with friends who could be across the room or across the world.
Google Maps often guides us to our destinations and YouTube exposes us to previously unheard music and unseen videos. All of these different applications, media and networks make up the center of Catfish.Catfish focuses on Nev Schulman, a New York photographer who publishes a picture in the New York Post. Shortly after the photo's publication, Nev receives a painting of that photograph in the mail, which he learns is from a gifted 8-year-old girl named Abby. Over time, Nev receives more paintings from the talented artist.
He befriends Abby, her mother Angela and her older sister Megan on Facebook. Schulman's amateur filmmaker roommates decide to document the experience and, eventually, go to meet Abby and her family.The Internet serves as a conduit for communication and as a buffer between the real and cyberspace relationships built between Nev and Abby's engrossing family. Things soon grow more complicated, but that's all I will say about the plot.
I should mention however, that it has been debated whether Catfish is a legitimate or fabricated documentary. Skeptics feel that this documentary is too orchestrated to be real. This debate opens an interesting second discussion: has the Internet created an attitude of skepticism where documentaries, truthful representations of facts, are scrutinized for legitimacy? I can't say we don't have a reason for it; several documentaries and internet news reports have been debunked as false; including the Balloon Boy deception from last year and the 1999 film "The Blair Witch Project." These hoaxes have inspired a guilty-until-proven-innocent culture in regards to information and stories found on the web. Professors constantly criticize the credibility of Wikipedia, while parents fearfully monitor their kids' social network activity for fear that they will fall into a predator's trap.
Documentaries have not been entirely "truthful" in the strictest sense either; the Oscar-winning 1950s Disney documentary "White Wilderness" is famous for faking the mass suicide of lemmings.
Though it could be na've, I choose to believe that Catfish, which the filmmakers claim to be factual, is, in fact, a documentary. Although there are details that may seem a bit fanciful, the film is gripping, excellently made and manages to shock while never quite seeming unreal. If it is real, it is a truly sad and amazing story. If it does turns out to be fake, however, then I congratulate the director and writers for composing such a narrative. There's one thing that, no matter how cliché it is, has proven its veracity time and again: truth is stranger than fiction. I choose to accept Catfish as truth and it is far more compelling than most fiction.9.0/10
Contact James Hill III at jhill@scu.edu or at (408) 551-1918.