Catfish

Posted on: 4 May 2011

I'm fresh from watching Catfish on More4 this evening, a 2010 American Documentary film that follows the relationship between a 24-year old New York photographer and a 19 year old Michigan woman and her family over Facebook. I was intrigued by the trailer for this and knew it'd be the sort of film I would enjoy. There's something about Facebook and the way it's changed the way we live our lives that I find fascinating.

Warning: Semi-spoiler alert

I initially thought this film was a "mocumentary"; a staged, scripted documentary-style movie, but its makers stand by their claim of authenticity.

The main character (Nev) is instantly likeable, and you warm to him very early on. The first half of the movie gets to know the character of Nev, and his correspondences with Abby, a young talented painter, her mother Angela, and her elder sister Megan; all of whom live in Michigan. The film builds very well, and you feel like you really get to know the characters - a simple movie element that many modern films tend to skimp on.

For a shaky, amateur-filmed, believably even script-less movie, the suspense built - with the slow realisation and final confrontation - is immense.

But perhaps the most potent thing about this film is it feels real. Facebook can literally give you any face you want, and provides anyone with the platform to create any person they want, or even a whole community of fabricated relationships.