We already had one film about Facebook which was a fascinating insight in how the social networking site came to existence but one other Facebook-related film that is often overlooked is Catfish. Putting us into a real-life situation, Catfish is a staggering look at the effects the site can have on individuals and the power it has over everyday life.
Nev Schulman lives in New York and is a photographer with dreams of making it big in the future and he may just have his break after he gets to know a very special young girl, who is an incredibly talented painter, through Facebook. Abby is a painting prodigy from Michigan, with her paintings usurping a lot of artists much older than her age of just eight. When Nev gets to know more about her through her family he strikes a great bond with mother Angela and constantly receives packages showcasing Abby’s most recent paintings. Being told that the paintings are selling for large sums of money and that they are being presented at different events, Nev is excited at the prospect of being involved with such a huge talent.
He is then introduced further to the family with the introduction of other daughter Megan. Striking an instant connection with one another, they find themselves communicating online and via text every day and in no time at all Nev finds himself infatuated with a girl he has never met. With his bond increasing with the family, Nev decides it is only right to go to the other side of America in order to finally meet those he has been in constant contact with for such a long time.
Despite such a vast amount of contact between Nev and the Pierce’s, the cracks begin to show in some of the family members causing some questions to be asked and a decision to find out the full truth surrounding this supposed child prodigy. We then set off with Nev and his two friends, Ariel and Henry, who document the whole journey, to locate the house of Pierce family and finally come face-to-face with those he has been in contact with for so long. When they arrive it seems that all is not as simple as Angela the mother has been letting on.
Catfish is a highly successful film in immersing the viewer into a world that really exists in this day and age. The world of social networking is a huge part of our lives in this day and age and this story is one that is so intriguing that you cannot help but watch to find out the eventual outcome. Nev’s story is a captivating tale dealing with such issues as love and betrayal put against the backdrop of the perils of social networking sites. We are truly given a tour de force of the dangers of sites such as Facebook and the ways in which they can be so easily manipulated; it really does make you think twice about the uses for such sites.
With its clear message surrounding social networking and a truly masterful piece of thrilling filmmaking, Catfish is a film to be treasured and shared amongst all film fans. Raising some clear issues with something we can all relate to, it manages to grasp the viewer with such a simple premise and the events we witness are neither over-hyped nor played out in an unbelievable fashion. This is reality and this is a film with a hard-hitting message that really does hit home. Fantastic.
Film rating: 4 out of 5 F’s
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