Catfish

Catfish one of the most audacious documentaries I’ve seen. It follows Nev Shulman as he begins a romantic relationship with a woman online. When Nev is struck with a curiousity that she might not be who she says she is, he and the filmmakers crash her house unexpectedly. I won’t say anymore because the surprise is part of the fun.

Well, not really….I went in knowing the outcome. If anything, cutting through the hype heightened the experience. Some have called it disturbing. Some have called it timely. Some have even called it fake. I don’t really care what the fuck people call it, it is one of the most unique documentaries ever made.

It is real and anyone who says otherwise is just kidding themselves. I was talking shit before I saw it, saying there is no reason it could be THAT shocking. I was angry at the way it was cleverly marketed, as if they were going to find a two-headed monster. It is indeed shocking, but not in anyway it has been described in the commercials.

My brother urged me to go. He said, “It looks really fucking scary, man!”. Well, it wasn’t scary, but instead was tragic and struck deep empathy in me.

It has one of the most “real” moments ever put on camera. It is a scene which couldn’t be faked. It is sweet and sentimental. It sums up something about the human condition that would be tough to express in another artistic form.

See it.

For those who have seen it or just don’t give a fuck….read on.

Collin Says: A -

You’ll Say: A

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What makes this documentary flabbergasting is the people that occupy it are so fucking likable. The film was shot and directed by Nev’s brother Ariel and their friend Henry Joost. They travel to Michigan in order to find Nev’s online girlfriend Megan, and instead find only Megan’s mother Angela Pierce.

Many, including myself, would not have been as bold as Nev. He storms to the door to confront whoever is inside fearlessly. I admire him a great deal for this. Even when his brother Ariel is freaking out, worried someone might attack him, he is cool-headed, fluffy, and steadfast. Equally amazing is Angela’s reaction to them showing up.

She was obviously caught. So why was she so friendly and amicable? Well, I broke it down to two things:

A: She is a character in a fictional film

or

B: She is a fascinating human being who is in love with Nev and wanted to be caught.

My shock was not what Nev and the filmmakers found, but how they, and Angela, responded to the confrontation. I would have ran for the hills, especially when I met her husband.

There are moments in the film where it is clear Angela is deeply in love with Nev. It are these moments that make me laugh at people who think it’s fake. Meryl Streep couldn’t emulate those looks.

Instead of reacting brashly or sardonically, Nev is only understanding. Yes, he knows a camera is rolling, but the kindness and reassurance he provides Angela is touching. She compliments him lovingly on his eyes and smile while she sketches him. Nev politely smiles back.

The moment when Angela confesses her reasoning for fabricating the whole story is one of the great moments I’ve had at the movies all year. She confesses that her connection to Nev was not just about him, but about his attachment to dancing, art, culture….another life.

Many have called this a social networking wake up call, but I really don’t think it should ever be simplified to that. Was there not relationships like this before Facebook, Myspace, WOW, Second Life, and many others? Wasn’t this just as likely to happen over the phone? Much of it was, after all.

Instead, what makes this movie so amazing is it shows a person filled with deep regret over a life unfulfilled. She longed for an out from her disabled children and moronic husband. She found pleasure from living a second life through fictional people and felt a very real attachment to Nev.

I didn’t like the origin of the title. It came off as desperately literary. With Angela there literally is no need. She is epic enough.

Check back next Sunday November 6  for our podcast film review on this movie and others.

-Collin