Catfish Review

Catfish Review:

Some movies are difficult to critique without spoiling the experience for the reader that has not seen the film yet. But then some films endings drastically change a person’s perception of the film as a whole and take on an entirely different identity after the first viewing. Films like “Fight Club” or “The Sixth Sense” to name a few. “Catfish” is a different sort of monster though and just like those films knowing as little as possible before the first viewing will only create a better experience.

 “Catfish” is a new documentary from Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, who begin documenting an unfolding story involving Ariel’s brother, Nev, a 24-year-old photographer living in New York, and Abby, an 8-year-old girl in Michigan who uses Facebook to contact Nev for permission to make a painting from one of his photos.

The film is billed as a documentary, but some elements do not seem plausible in an independent documentary. Whether the film is true or fabricated doesn’t effect how powerful some of the footage is and how entertaining the film is. If the film is real then some of the footage must have been recreated after the documentary began or if the film is false it is an interesting choice to bill this film as non-fiction and film it in a way that would support that idea.

Cinematography wise this film is shot with mostly handheld cameras and video equipment and it shows. The camera is grainy and shakes and sometimes doesn’t capture the full action, but it is meant to look like this and wouldn’t be as powerful if it was not. The film is heavily focused on the use of social-networking to connect with others, so several scenes are focused on texting or using Facebook. We watch as these people post messages on Facebook or instant message each other using Google talk. When they discus travel or locations the film expresses these scenes as full screen Google Maps, Street View or Earth. The narrative of the film is told through the lens of the internet.

“Catfish” deals with the idea that through websites like Facebook we are further apart than ever when these sites are supposed to be bringing people closer together. As the film progresses, Nev begins to fall more and more in love with a Facebook page, not  the real person behind that profile. Beyond these themes the film is engaging and often hysterical, mostly because of the people that are making the film. These people make the film’s slow parts interesting and allow the audience to be interested in Nev’s adventure and his personality. The film is even more impressive when the tone shifts halfway through and draws the viewer in even more. The film works on both levels because it is both social commentary and entertainment.

“Catfish” is a film that must be experienced by today’s generation, whether fact or fiction. The message of the film is that with social networking becoming a greater part of our daily live it is important to find out who are you really talking to.