Greetings,
I was hesitant to do a review of Catfish for Documentary Week for a couple of reasons. First of all, documentaries are generally about something based in reality, something that has actually happened. Well, a lot of people think that what happened in this film is not what happened for real. Second, I can only say so much about this before I start giving away the "twist", but I'll do my best. Let me just say that I believe what happened in this film did, in fact, happen. Of course, it is not "exactly" what occurred. Hello! They're called editors, and even documentaries have them. But I think it is as true to life as it can be. I could be wrong, I realize this, but, as I said in an email I sent to one of the guys involved in this film, I refuse to believe that three adorable boys would lie to me. Thinking that may have gotten me into trouble in the past, but I may be safe here. Moving on.
So this movie centers around three guys from New York. Yaniv "Nev" Schulman, his older brother Ariel "Rel" Schulman, and their good friend, Henry Joost. Twenty-four year old Nev is a photographer and our main "character", while Rel and Henry are filmmakers along for the ride.
The film starts with Nev talking about a little girl named Abby who he met online. Before you start to worry, it's not what you're thinking. Abby is actually an eight year old art prodigy who got some of Nev's photographs, painted pictures of them and sent them to him. Impressed by the talent of this young girl, Rel and Henry decided to start making a film about her art, as well as Nev's interactions with Abby and her family. Oh, yeah, about her family.
Being the responsible and not wanting to look like a creepy internet predator man that he is, Nev asks permission from Abby's mother, Angela, before having any communication with her. This parlays itself into his developing a friendly relationship with the whole family, including Abby's dad, Vince, her older brother, Alex and her older sister, Megan. Her nineteen year old sister who looks like a model Megan. See, sometimes even documentaries need an obvious love interest. As expected, Nev and Megan strike up a long distance, over the phone and internet relationship. Initially, though, he is hesitant to go too far, because Megan is only nineteen, and she lives in Michigan, and she's a virgin. Yes, at some point, she tells him that she is still a virgin. While we are not privy to this conversation firsthand, we are pretty much told point blank in other places.
Now Nev and Megan do seem to have some things in common. Megan is a photographer like him, but she also works with animals and is a dancer and a singer/songwriter. She even frequently sends recordings of herself singing to Nev. However, it is that very act that leads to a turn in the story. Not to spoil anything specific, but the boys discover that perhaps Megan has not been completely honest with them. Turns out, they also start to suspect that this may be an inherited trait. So amid all these suspicions, they decide to full on Nancy Drew it and go to Michigan to find out just what exactly is going on. Well, they go, and they do find out.
Okay, here's about where I have to stop as far as the story line goes, because here is where the "twist" is revealed. And, in my opinion, this part is a very good payoff. Initially, it may seem predictable, but, as things go along, the story goes much deeper and is very rewarding.
I will give a bit of a warning to anyone who might want to check this movie out. Do not go online to look for trailers for it. I've seen some for this movie, before and after, and a lot of them make this film out to be something it is not. Don't get me wrong, the movie is amazing, but it's not THAT movie that you might see summed up in one of these little adverts. I mean, come on, 12 Angry Men is an amazing movie, too, but seeing clips of a spaceship blowing up is not going to give you a good hint as to what it's about. It was just a little misleading. Though maybe that was the point.
While it may seem like a simple story, initially, Catfish has a lot of layers to it. There is a bit of mystery there, but I would call it more of a character study. It goes deeply into how otherwise everyday, ordinary people behave and react when they are put into unexpected and extraordinary situations. And near the end, there is a scene from which the title is spawned, and I found it to be a very poignant moment. Bottom line is, whether you believe that it is all true or not (I still believe it's true!), this is still a very good movie and worth the watch.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
