Catfish

"Catfish" is a difficult film to talk about without spoiling. The sensationalist trailer gives a deliberately one-sided peek at a film which is ultimately defined by its ending. Expectations should probably be mediated, however—"Catfish" isn't going to blow your mind. In fact, the outcome of this social networking mystery is rather straightforward, but no less brilliant for it. This is a film where palpable suspense cedes way to an unconventional and thought- provoking character study. Maybe the best introduction I can offer is that I really liked it.

Arriving in a market practically gorged with tongue-in-cheek faux documentaries, it's initially difficult to take "Catfish" at face value. The story begins innocuously enough; Yaniv "Nev" Schulman has just had his first picture published in the New York Times when a package arrives at his office containing a painted replica of the photo. The artist is a 12 year- old admirer, and her correspondence begets a peculiar Facebook friendship. As Nev becomes involved with her and her family, however, he begins to notice certain inconsistencies with the perfect lives they lead online.

Much of the build-up feels stagey, and surely something is amiss, because either filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman are considerably more talented directors than they portray themselves as, or they are not being entirely forthcoming. The prevalence of the camera during seemingly random moments that become key scenes seems perhaps a bit too fortuitous, and the placement and framing of the shots themselves seem too precisely calculated to have been captured on the fly for this amateur guerrilla venture.

Yet it doesn't matter in the slightest. "Catfish" is about calling our willingness to accept unsubstantiated information into question, and thus encourages a skepticism and natural inquisitiveness towards itself. The entire thing could be fabricated, and its creators have a built-in ace in the hole. Falsifying a non-fiction film about false identity could add a brilliant meta layer to the puzzle.

That being said, I don't believe that Joost and Schulman invented the whole thing. Somebody get these guys a pen and paper if they did. Rather, I tend to identify with the prevailing online rumor that suggests the ending was shot first, with some or most of the first half consisting of retroactive reenactments. But though I question the authenticity of certain moments, whether or not they are genuine seems beside the point—"Catfish" is an effective film.

The foundation of that success lies in its solid technique. The gradual rationing of information and the introduction and unraveling of the central mystery is surprisingly well handled. The plot is obtuse and intense when it needs to be, and the suspense is so potent that some have even been let down that it never becomes an all-out thriller.

But suspense has the tendency to be undervalued in an of itself, and the suspense in "Catfish" is an exceptionally executed, integral part of the ride. The film, on the whole, works not only because of its moments of seizing, visceral tension, but because of the greater message it evokes. In hindsight, scenes like those exploited in the trailer featuring Nev and his buddies arriving at a quiet farm in the dead of night seem downright silly when compared to where they eventually end up.

"Catfish" has been getting a ton of very positive press recently, and it deserves much of the praise it's received. But backlash follows hype like a shadow, and I have a feeling that those swayed into seeing the film who might not have otherwise will enter with unrealistic expectations. It is a fascinating, offbeat experiment, but it still appeals to niche interests. The extent to which we let ourselves believe that the internet is a direct extension of our preceptory senses can be dangerous—But I'll say no more. I don't want to spoil anything.

The film centers around photographer Yaniv "Nev" Schulman, recorded by Ariel Schulman, and Henry Joost. This is all I'm going to reveal about the plot, because I strongly believe that you should see this movie knowing virtually nothing about it. If I even gave a synopsis, I'd be giving too much away.

It's a film with a rather dark tone, and smartly edited by Zachary Stuart-Pontier. The documentary does make some strong points, such as "Who is this person?" "Who can I trust?" "What's real, and what's falsehood?" It makes one wonder what length some will go to hide the truth, and wonder what they would do in a situation like Nev's.

The film starts off rather charming, but eventually the film ends up becoming so nervously unsettling, and emotionally devastating that it's painful to watch. I know it made me not want to know what happen, because it just so hard to fathom, but I just decided to grit my teeth, and keep watching. The film is highly thought provoking, question raising, and the tone Joost, and Schulman set helps the film immeasurably.

The film is hardly ever pretty to watch, but am eye opener to be certain.

I give Catfish *** out of ****

This movie is over hyped as a thriller but I can honestly say that the only thrilling part was right before the reveal of the twist. The story it built up very well and the acting is pretty great. I laughed at many point of the film and it definitely hooked me into the story and I felt almost nervous for what was going to happen since all the trailers and promos talked about thrilling scenes. I was kind of disappointed at the fact that it was nothing close to actually being a thriller. The twist was very interesting, and close to the heart since I know it happens in real life. This is a more extreme version of internet communication gone wrong. I won't say what happened since it is an actual interesting movie, but don't expect the movie to be a thriller, or else you will leave the movie with your head down and wanting your money back.

It's authenticity will remain in question. And if it is indeed real, the motivation of the filmmakers themselves are unclear.

But there is a truth in Catfish that reflects a lot about ourselves. For most, the Internet is a place to merely extend their social life. But for some, it could be the only place where they could find it. We are called to be mindful of these people. This is a movie for our time. 4/5 Stars

Note: The trailer is indeed misleading, which may have caused much disappointment to viewers with a specific expectation. To those who has not seen the trailer and desire to watch the movie, avoid the trailer.

Most human beings have two eyes. One left eye, and one right eye. Catfish pries open your third eye above the two you were born with. That eye is the eye to sense bulls*** from a mile away. It makes you think about the people you associate with online, and the people you come across with on Facebook, the oh-so popular networking site.

Upon finishing this film, I was unsure of what to think of it. "Real or fake?" was the question that popped in my head. Could this be just another false documentary teaching us a lesson, but using actors to portray realistic people? Or was this an authentic documentary showcasing one person's real life experience on the site, and having his brother and friend film it all? My opinion is that this is reminiscent of a reality show. Some scenes are fiction, but somethings are authentic. I really can't say if this is real or fake. But I assume 70% or less is real.

The plot is one of those like Paranormal Activity where you can't reveal too much or the whole thing is ruined. Basically, Young New York photographer Yaniv Schulman's life is put on film by brother Ariel Schulman and friend Henry Joost. They show his relationship with a supposedly eight year old girl on Facebook named Abby who is a child prodigy when it comes to painting. Yaniv will send pictures to Abby, and is told Abby paints them with remarkable talent.

As time passes, Niv shows extreme interest for Abby's family, including her alleged half-sister Megan, and the mother Angela. Once he uncovers some evidence I won't spoil, he goes out to meet the family. There is when the movie becomes a total enjoyment.

Whether fact or fiction, the film makes you think. It succeeds in making you ponder or contemplate the people you associate with on the web. Being an avid reviewer, a social networker, a Tweeter, a Facebooker, a Youtube personality I wonder who is watching my videos. Of course my personal information is nothing but private unless I have a strict build up with the person I discuss with. I haven't ran into any true problems on the web. I consider myself extremely grateful and lucky for that.

Catfish succeeds in being an entertaining time capsule of what will soon be the once popular social network. Facebook will eventually die out just like Myspace, but we will have this film to look back on. While 2010 had one more movie based on the site called The Social Network, Catfish deals with Facebook and it's people. TSN was all about the creation of the site, and the problems Zuckerberg and his friends ran into. That was a totally different film, and well worthy of the Golden Globe wins. Catfish is a one of a kind species that shouldn't be thrown back into the water.

Starring: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman, Yaniv Schulman. Directed by: Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost.