CATFISH (USA 2010) **
Directed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost

CATFISH is a 2010 film advertised as a documentary (it is a true story shot documentary style) involving a man being filmed by his friend and brother as he builds a romantic relationship with an attractive girl.  But this is all done on the social networking website Facebook. When the results get dodgy, they all go to visit her.

CATFISH is supposedly based on a true story.  And the lead character Nev (Nev Schulman) was filmed by his real brother, Ariel Schulman and roommate Henry Joost.  All the film characters use their real names.  It all starts when Abby Pierce, an eight years-old artist in rural Michigan, sends him a painting of one of his photographs. They become friends on Facebook and gradually, the network broadens to Abby’s family, including her mother, Angela; Angela’s husband; and Abby’s attractive older half-sister Megan, a songwriter.

Nev and Megan begin a long distance network relationship that includes the start of an awkward love making scene.  But Nev finds things are fishy when he discovers all the songs Megan has written are taken from live performances on YouTube.  When the siblings and Henry travel to Michigan to confront Megan, they discover that Angela is a pudgy woman for two disabled stepsons. Abby and Angela’s husband exist, but Abby is not a prodigy and he is not aware of the hoax. Angela is the artist, and created Megan is not real.
The premise is an interesting one and directors Joost and Schulman tell their tale in a straight forward manner, doc style interviewing the main character Nev, Angela, Angela’s husband and a few others.  Once the story is laid out and the consequences guessed, the film loses steam.  Worst still, Nev is rather annoying and one can hardly sympathize with an annoying person who falls for someone on the internet without finding out more.  And he does not seem to mind or get really upset at the hoax.

The film was a hit when first played at Sundance.  One can see why – as it is a small budget wonder with a bright idea.  Unfortunately, that is all there is to this film.

The directors do not judge Angela.  Her hoax is deemed ok by the directors’ explanation of the term CATFISH which is a fish with the purpose of creating a stir to enhance an otherwise boring situation.  The directors never consider the fact that dishonesty is a big matter in the hoax or that people might permanently scarred emotionally as a result.  In the same way, one cannot tell, in reality how much truth lies in their film.  For all you know, what they re telling in the ad may be total lies and this film based on a true story could be totally fabricated and they are total CATFISH in the true sense of the word.