Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman are young New York media types who document their lives as a matter of course. So when photographer Yaniv, Ariel’s brother with whom they share office space, receives an email from Abby, an 8-year-old Michigan girl, seeking permission to paint one of his photographs, their recordings suddenly get a lot more interesting. As Abby’s paintings start to arrive thick and fast, Yaniv strikes up a Facebook and phone relationship not just with Abby but also her mom and her older sister Megan. Soon Yaniv and Megan are flirting like mad but a troubling discovery arouses his suspicions and he sets off to Michigan – with the filmmakers in tow. Starring: Nev Schulman, Michigander Abby
Directed by: Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost
Runtime: 88 minutes
Studio: Universal
Amazon USAmazon UKIMDBReview: Catfish
Catfish is a documentary that follows photographer, Yani “Nev” Schulman, who lives with his brother Ariel in New York. One day Nev receives a painting from an eight year old girl named Abby who lives in Michigan. Abby has painted one of Nev’s photos that has appeared in a newspaper. Nev’s brother, Ariel, and his friend Henry begin filming this exchange. Over time Nev corresponds with Abby, her mom Angela, and a much older sister, Megan. Nev’s contact is through social media, mail and even on the telephone. What begins as an innocent interaction becomes more serious as Nev and Megan grow closer but as time goes by something doesn’t seem right.
Nev’s relationship with Megan begins positively and it’s clear they have lot in common. Megan enjoys music and begins sending recordings to Nev. One day he requests she cover a particular song and it is very quickly sent to him which arouses his suspicions. Nev investigates YouTube and finds Megan has been taking cover songs from other artists, sending them to Nev and pretending they’re her own. All of a sudden, Nev has doubts about Megan, Angela and Abby. As he investigates further he realises that there are many more deceptions waiting to be uncovered. In the end Nev, Ariel and Henry decide to drive to Michigan to investigate for themselves. They don’t inform Angela, Abby or Megan of what they’re doing, believing a surprise visit will the best way to discover the truth.
Catfish is a well-crafted and intriguing documentary that has valuable lessons about online safety. In a world where we can interact with anyone in the world at the click of a button, Catfish does a good job of revealing the sinister side of social media and how so many people can be left hurt and deceived by others. Nev’s discovery of the lies told by Angela and her family hit him hard but there are still many positives for him to take from the experience and valuable insights for the rest of us to take note of.
Verdict: 4/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
About the Author:
I was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England and have always been a bookworm and enjoyed creative writing at school. In 1999 I created the Elencheran Chronicles and have been writing ever since. My first novel, Fezariu's Epiphany, was published in May 2011. When not writing I'm a lover of films, games, books and blogging. I now live in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with my wife, Donna, and our six cats - Kain, Razz, Buggles, Charlie, Bilbo and Frodo.
David M. Brown – who has written 827 posts on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave.
