Catfish
Screen Rant ’s Rob Frappier & Mike Eisenberg do a two-fold review ofCatfish
One of the most buzzed - about films at this year ’s Sundance film festival was the challenging documentaryCatfish . The film focuses on the report of a New York City lensman , Nev Schulman , who befriends a seemingly prodigious 8 - year - older catamount , Abby , on Facebook .
As Nev spring up skinny to Abby , who regularly station him paintings of his photographs , he connects with the repose of her virtual web on Facebook , including other members of her family . One of these connectedness is to Abby ’s attractive older half - sister Megan .
As Nev and Megan grow closer together through Facebook , and then through telephone telephone call and school text messages , Nev ’s sidekick Ral and his co - film director Henry Joost start to document the relationship . Eventually , Nev decide that he desire to run into Megan in person , but she is evasive . Soon , the trio begin noticing inconsistencies in Megan ’s behaviour , so they set out on a trip to the tiny townspeople of Ishpheming , Michigan to attempt the truth .
It is best if we leave the plot verbal description there . Suffice it to say , the picture and its stranger - than - fable story has set the net afire with discussion . Of course , that does n’t mean that the moving-picture show has achieved unvarying critical praise . While many reviewers enjoyed the film , many others did not . Here atScreen Rant , we have one of each .
I , Rob Frappier , see the film and call up it was excellent . My confrere , Mike Eisenberg , saw it and did n’t enjoy it at all . So , rather than only giving you one review to scan , we ’re establish you two . Enjoy them both ( be advise that there will be some unintentionalSPOILERSin our review ) and make your own decisiveness about whether you will go and seeCatfishthis weekend .
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Rob’s Review - 4.5/5 Stars
I proceed intoCatfishknowing virtually nothing about the film - and boy am I happy I did . If you have seen any advert for this film , you will doubtlessly bear a different movie . The trailer advise something akin to a real - life horror chronicle . They ’re not solely wrong , but they ’re deceptive . Besides , Catfishis so much more .
In my opinion , there has n’t been a movie this year that has delivered as much suspense , humour , and heartbreak asCatfish . Furthermore , without going deeply into the cardinal whodunit of the film ( knowing as little as potential is the way to go ) , I can also say that no movie to date has approach the ups and down of living in the ultra - pumped-up world of Facebook , Google , and YouTube as intelligently and provokingly asCatfishdoes .
We seldom think about it , but we live in a mankind directly out of skill fable . Sure , there are no flying cable car or personal robots ( yet ) , but just consider the Internet . In fractions of a second , I can send a stupid cat video to fellow Screen Rant author Ross Miller … in Scotland . Every single day , meg of mass use their mobile phone to share their up - to - the - min thoughts with the earth on Twitter . necessitate direction ? Google not only gives you the name and address you ’re looking for , but satellite photos to boot .
Catfish is a 2010 documentary film directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. It follows Nev Schulman as he develops an online relationship with a woman and sets out to meet her in person. The film examines the complexities and deceptions that can arise in virtual relationships and prompts a broader discussion about the nature of authenticity in the age of social media.
And then there ’s the big male child of the social networking earth , Facebook . Facebook - with its more than 500 million users - has helped to show in a fresh geological era of societal interaction . With nothing but a picture , a unforesightful biography , and a handful of likes and disfavor , it is possible to create an approximation of your real personality . Factor in the way you interact with friends and folk , as well as the links and content you deal on your Facebook bulwark , and suddenly the digital version of you starts to become much clearer . In a sentiency , it becomes who you actually are , at least to the judgment of a stranger .
That ’s whereCatfishmakes its most absorbing discovery . Search engines like Google have made it infinitely easier and faster to access information . On the flipside , societal medium has reach us the ability to make our own version of reality . So , how can you assure if the person on the other end of your instant subject matter , text , tweet , or wall post is really who they say they are ? What compel us to reach out to strangers online ? Can on-line relationship provide the same level of emotional gratification as " real " relationships ?
Some people have criticized the film for being inauthentic , calling it a faux - docudrama . I understand their complaints . The direction that events unfold certainly strains credulity , but even if it were partially sleuth ( and for the record I do n’t intend it is ) that does n’t make it any less compelling .
I believe that many people have a limited purview of documentary photographic film . They are often recall of either as agenda - aim films - such as the docs of Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock - or just informational films , such asMarch of the Penguins . InCatfish , we see something different : this is a whodunit photographic film . Things occur in path that we could never call or carry . It feels like a narrative film , but it is n’t . As far as I ’m relate , that ’s all the more reason to see it .
I will need to seeCatfishagain to cement my feelings , and to speculate further just how much the three guys really get it on about what they were getting into , but I think that when all is said and done , this moving picture will be consider an authoritative touchstone of the Internet generation , and one of the most memorable documentary pic in history .
register Mike Eisenberg ’s " Thumbs down " review ofCatfish …
Mike’s Review - 1/5 Stars
What a difference a laggard makes . The moment I see the first dawdler forCatfishI was sell . I ’ve understand enough docudrama about the United States Department of State of social medium and was quick for a substantial story turned black . The only problem is , the trailer was a full Trygve Lie .
I wanted to enjoyCatfishfor what it prove to be - a documentary about the masquerade party we produce on the Internet . at long last , the film was a boring journey alongside some lovable failure of the Internet years .
Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost followed their friend Nev on what they perceived to be an engaging journey to the bottom of a rabbit hole . The only problem is thatCatfishnever gives its audience a desire to even look at that rabbit hole . While the entire first enactment establishes the far - from - normal relationship between Nev and his online friend , it never snaps . Rather than presenting a snap of real America , it prepare me enquire how boring we calculate to the rest of the world .
I spent every minute waiting for something , anything , to happen that would pin me to my place with machination . The only moment in whichCatfishpresents a tatter of wonder comes in the form of an improbably contrived scene . The three friend resolve to visit the suppose farm of Nev ’s net friend , but arrive at 2:00 a.m. Why would anybody ever visit a stranger on a secluded farm at 2:00 a.m. unless they were trying to force the audience into a recession ?
This would n’t have been so forged if the documentary film took a number for the fictitious ( like the trailer suggests ) . It would n’t have been so bad if the documentary in reality went somewhere from there ( like the critic blurbs in the trailer hint ) . To me it seems that when the big " reveal " occurs , the filmmaker agnize ( off - photographic camera ) their documentary is in difficulty . They hit a utter end , but decide to keep the cameras rolling in a heroic attempt to find an interesting type .
Most ofCatfishis a provoked commentary on the land of America ’s personality crisis . If they would have only promoted it as such , we the audience would n’t be so distracted from our purpose . In hindsight , the marketing movement is an insult to the public . Is there perfectly no religious belief left for audiences to watch a documentary about a seasonable matter - specially establish the upcoming press release ofThe Social internet ?
This brings me to the film producer ' esthetical dash . For a short time it is easy to buy into the gritty , handheld visual style - it feel substantial . Soon enough , it becomes an arduous task for the hearing . Along with chalkboard - scratching reasoned design , the humble style becomes headache - inducing . But when the crew eventually trust they have a genuinely inspiring motion picture ( around 2/3 through the pic ) , the equipment mysteriously improves . If they had access to timber equipment , why not practice it from the start ? I ascertain it hard to consider they had no mind the documentary would be worth the employment of salutary equipment .
I prize the filmmakers ' attempt to conform to real life . It is unmanageable to make any feature article picture . But the studio behindCatfishcan’t perhaps think they have another low - budget box office Cinderella on their hands . Catfishis a shell of a good documentary , hidden behind a horrid masquerade that disorder its audience from the photographic film ’s reliable purpose .
It ’s hard to imagine how this pic would have played out for me if I never assure the trailer . Maybe it would have been my favorite infotainment sinceThe Cove . Trailer or not , I foundCatfishto be a bore . My expectancy for its finally underwhelming finale was not even enough to get me through the weakly social commentary .
Do n’t feel like you missed anything if you do n’t seeCatfish . I see it as a missed chance by filmmakers who think they would trip upon a compelling mystery . Instead , the white space are filled in with close - up computer screenshots that only prompt us ofThe Social web ’s riveting lagger . peradventure if the studio apartment powers who brought usCatfishdidn’t find such dull material so intriguing , we would n’t have to sit through it . But here we are .
EDITOR ‘S NOTE : trust you enjoy our first point / comeback - point review . get us cognise what you think about it , andCatfishbelow .
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To let Rob know what you thought of his reassessment , tweet your response to@robfrappier
To let Mike know what you thought of his review , tweet your reply to@Eisentower30
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Catfish is a 2010 documentary plastic film head by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman . It follows Nev Schulman as he develops an on-line relationship with a woman and sets out to assemble her in individual . The film examines the complexities and deceptions that can arise in virtual relationship and prompts a broader discourse about the nature of genuineness in the age of social sensitive .
