Catfish - Plenty More Fish In The Sea

It’s complicated...

Forget The Social Network; Catfish was the Facebook-movie that had critics raving last year. Previewed at the Sundance Festival to enthusiastic reviews, this ‘reality thriller’ is a fascinating study of relationships both real and virtual, and a cautionary tale for the computer generation.

When New York photographer Nev Schulman is sent a painting based on one of his pictures, he begins an online friendship with the painter – 8-year old child-prodigy Abby – her mother Angela and, in particular, her older sister Megan, with whom he begins a tentative relationship. The filmmakers, Nev’s brother Ariel and friend Henry Joost, record the progress of these virtual friendships, only to find themselves unravelling a web of lies and deception when the messages and phone calls Nev receives begin not to add up...

Part documentary, part thriller and part detective story, the film picks apart Nev’s expectations and assumptions, brilliantly portraying the potential dangers of an online community which allows people to invent or airbrush their own identity. As he admits himself, why would he think to question anything that his new Facebook friends tell him? The big reveal proves just as intriguing as the build-up, as the boys embark on an impromptu road-trip to Abby’s home in Michigan intending to confront the family. What they find, however, is nothing like they expected, and raises some interesting questions about social identity, morality and deception. The duped Nev is adorable, and handles the increasing pressure with a remarkable sense of calm and good nature - the scene where he reads out a dirty-text exchange between himself and Megan is both unbearably toe-curling and hilarious.

Funny, moving and incredibly compelling, Catfish is a must-see for the Facebook generation.

Catriona Davidson