Catfish (2010) with trailer

"...And there are those people who are catfish in life. And they keep you on your toes. They keep you guessing, they keep you thinking, they keep you fresh." A quote from the film which typifies what the documentary is trying to show and say about how life, people and situations can be unexpected and full of surprises. Sometimes you need something out of the ordinary to give you a jolt and spark.

This documentary is a series of footage filmed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost where they spot an opportunity to document a blossoming friendship between Ariel's brother Nev Schulman (a photographer) and an 8 year old prodigy painter Abby....and then her immediate family....

As the documentary proceeds, Nev starts to bond with Abby, their friendship develops over the internet via Facebook. Initially Nev is sent a painting of one of his pictures and he is suitably impressed by the skill and the attention to detail that this eight year girl shows in her work. Eventually he is befriend by her family, first Abby's mother Angela and then Abby's sister Megan. This is where the film takes a turn and Nev develops feelings for Abby's older sister.

This may seem like an exploration about the pitfalls of an online relationship but as it progresses it becomes a lot more dramatic and fascinating as more and more surprising developments occur and unfold before our eyes. With Nev's infatuation over Megan taking over as the main focus we are shown scenes of their first conversation over the phone and messages via the internet. Everything seems too good to be true...

What makes this documentary so intriguing and interesting is how we (and Nev) are so willingly to accept all we are given as the truth and facts that the people we meet online to be real may not be real at all. As the documentors uncover secrets about Abby's family which are so unfathomable and unbelievable you may think the whole thing is a set up. Whether you believe some, all or none of this documentary to be real, it is very well made and handled with great flair and captures the anonymity and the power of the internet.

This doesn't follow the usual routes of documentaries where you'd expect talking heads, archive footage or a topical subject. It's more like a reality thriller (which it has been tagged) and is probably the best way to describe it. You get three acts, first the initial innocent meetings online and development which then leads us the revelations and uncovering of truths and facts, to the last act of confessional character study where we meet Nev's new online friend(s) and their motivations behind all the charade and lies. It is an emotional journey for Nev which ends up showing us a sadder side to humanity with a heartfelt resonance in which you can't help feeling sorry for the family he eventually meets up with. It's compelling and thought provoking.

16/20