'Catfish' — 5 out of 5
When an audience member walks away from a movie feeling satisfied after having paid for an overpriced ticket, then the film can be considered a general success. When an audience member walks away from a free screening of a movie still burdened with emotion and cinematic passion, then the film can be considered a revelation. “Catfish” is, without a doubt, a revelation.
After filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman developed a random interest in the life of Schulman’s brother, Nev, they picked up a camera and began documenting his day-to-day experiences. Nev, a 24-year-old photographer from New York, had struck up an unlikely friendship over Facebook with an 8-year-old rural Michigan native named Abby.
Abby greatly admired Nev’s photographs and soon acquired his permission to paint them. Nev enjoyed the paintings and began buying them from Abby. Through his correspondence with Abby, Nev became deeply involved with her “family” over the Internet, through phone conversations and by text messaging. Unbeknownst to Joost and Schulman, Nev’s interactions with Abby and her family would toss them into the endless intricacies of human relationships.
The strongest quality “Catfish” is its ability to portray vulnerability in its most raw and unobstructed form. Initially, the story seems a little childish — a complicated love affair deeply rooted in 21st century technology and communication, almost like Romeo and Juliet for the MTV generation. It perfectly illustrates how ‘boy’ falls in love with ‘girl.’ However, it also flawlessly depicts how deceit can destroy those feelings, leaving an invaluable lesson learned in their place.
Because of the uncomplicated camera work and the simple beauty of nearly every shot, the audience is connected to the people on screen. But because the feelings displayed by the characters are documented so purely to the point of disturbance, audience members are completely aware of themselves and their own profound emotions in response to the already emotionally enrapturing story.
“Catfish” will cause you to question the depths of emotion, lost dreams, and fabricated love — it causes audience members to question what matters in their own lives, as well as in the lives of others. Not only will it satisfy the craving for something completely original, but viewers will walk away feeling enlightened and exposed to a side of human nature never before depicted.