Quick Movie Review: "Catfish"

Seen on: September 21, 2010

The players: Directors: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman, Cast: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman, Nev Schulman

Facts of interest: None.

The plot: Nev Schulman is a photographer who stumbles across a mystery when he connects with someone on Facebook.

Our thoughts: “Catfish” is a brilliant real-life documentary. Focusing on a bunch of guys who make a random discovery that will eventually lead them to a secret they never expected, the movie does a fabulous job at fully capturing your attention and leaving you guessing until the very end. In other words, it’s a fascinating cinematic experiment.

Filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman really got lucky, because their story could’ve turned out completely different and “Catfish” wouldn’t really work. But yeah, they got lucky for sure, and as a result of that and their ambition to document their lives on camera, “Catfish” is worth a trip to the theater. My only advice is to respect the film’s tagline: Don’t let anyone tell you what it is…

I’m definitely not going to tell you, which is why I have to keep this short. What I can tell you though without giving anything away is that Henry and Ariel started filming Ariel’s brother Nev after he made quite an unusual connection with a stranger on Facebook. They followed him closely as he engaged in social networking, and what they stumbled on eventually was something they weren’t prepared for.

So yes, that’s all I will say about that. “Catfish” is incredibly entertaining, and the mystery behind Nev’s whole Facebook connection is what drives the film. We as spectators are as curious as Nev, Henry and Ariel are, so we’re sitting in our seats always dying to find out what the heck they do next, and most importantly, what they’ll discover as a result.

Needless to say, “Catfish” shows us that life is full of random events and that we better always have a camera nearby for when all this crazy stuff happens. Luckily enough, Nev is also quite an interesting character to watch, which obviously makes this entire experience all the more enjoyable. The cinematography is as basic as it gets, but the editing is fast-paced and edgy.

Freaky quote: "The Facebook family. That's what we call 'em." - Nev Schulman

The final word: It’s really tough not to say more about this, but you have to experience “Catfish” for yourself. In a world where a lot spins around social networking, this really is the movie to see. It’s unpredictable, engaging, thrilling and full of twists. As simple as it is, it’s a superb film.

Article by Franck Tabouring

Comments

[anna]

No Spoiler Catfish Review: "Catfish Fascinating & Heartbreaking". See it as soon as you can!! http://bit.ly/93x17h @IAMROGUE