Catfish: A Story of Digital Love
The movie Catfish is a wonderful portrayal of the dangers of Facebook. With very little effort, anybody can become whomever they want. This became very clear when a woman with a low intelligence level, but a high level of determination, creeps into a man’s personal life through art and fraudulent claims. Catfish is quite the eye-opener when it comes to how twisted some people can be. Not only does it document the journey of Yaniv and Megan, two people who met and really connected via Facebook, but it also chronicles the adventures of young love and the trials that go along with it. Their journey begins with a pint-sized artist, Abby. She begins to make perfect paintings that mimic Yaniv’s (Nev) photographs. Catfish is a fairly accurate portrayal of the direction Internet love can head. It starts off sweet and innocent; just a boy and a girl, casually flirting through a screen. Nev knew that Megan would be his escape. However, things head south when some questionable situations arise. Soon, things aren’t quite the reality as they once seemed. Betrayal, confusion, and disappointment replace the feelings of admiration, hope, and lust.
In 2010, photographer Yaniv Schulman released his documentary called Catfish. Yaniv and his brother Ariel decided to document a blossoming love story in late 2007-2008 between Yaniv and a woman he met on Facebook. Although things got complicated when the plot thickened and Yaniv no longer wanted to film, they continued on. And now we have Catfish.
What really set this movie apart from other documentaries I have seen would have to be the way it was shot. It had a homemade feeling without losing quality. You can tell it's HD, but also that it was a simple setup and very grassroots. I also liked how the music matched perfectly to the plot and what was happening at that moment. I find it rare that a movie and its score match so seemingly well. This movie has a certain carefree feeling about it. It's obvious that they knew how to create an outstanding movie, but also you could see their real emotions seeping out. Nothing seemed overproduced or fake or planned. This was clear especially when Yaniv would strut around his home in his (probably) American Apparel XS Baby Rib cut briefs, showing off his Libra tattoo on his lower back (which he now regrets, according to his Twitter account). Also, this film reminded me of the documentary Objectified, which is all about design and the aesthetic pleasures of the world. Mostly because they are both shot in HD, and everything is so crisp and well thought out.
Basically, Catfish follows Yaniv Schulman on his journey of love via the Internet. He is a photographer from New York City who specializes in dance. He obtains a certain amount of notoriety, and then receives a Facebook message from a small child named Abby. After several messages were sent, her mother, Angela adds Yaniv on Facebook and they begin their own separate correspondence. Time goes by and Abby’s older sister, Megan, 19, starts to talk to Yaniv. There is an instant connection between Megan and Yaniv, and things get steadily more and more serious. Yaniv fell in love even more when she begins writing him love songs…until he types the song into Youtube and finds the exact recording. Mistrust builds and demolishes her credibility. Angela then pleads with Megan, over Facebook, to “stay out of it.” Eventually, Yaniv’s trust level depletes and he decides to visit Megan at her farm in Michigan. Yaniv and Ariel pulled up to her alleged farm house, and sees that it’s abandoned, which is odd because Megan had just told Yaniv that she was going to be up birthing a horse. They look in her mailbox and they discover that all of Yaniv’s postcards he had sent to her were still in it, along with a message that said to mail them back.
Basically, Catfish follows Yaniv Schulman on his journey of love via the Internet. He is a photographer from New York City who specializes in dance. He obtains a certain amount of notoriety, and then receives a Facebook message from a small child named Abby. After several messages were sent, her mother, Angela adds Yaniv on Facebook and they begin their own separate correspondence. Time goes by and Abby’s older sister, Megan, 19, starts to talk to Yaniv. There is an instant connection between Megan and Yaniv, and things get steadily more and more serious. Yaniv fell in love even more when she begins writing him love songs…until he types the song into Youtube and finds the exact recording. Mistrust builds and demolishes her credibility. Angela then pleads with Megan, over Facebook, to “stay out of it.” Eventually, Yaniv’s trust level depletes and he decides to visit Megan at her farm in Michigan. Yaniv and Ariel pulled up to her alleged farm house, and sees that it’s abandoned, which is odd because Megan had just told Yaniv that she was going to be up birthing a horse. They look in her mailbox and they discover that all of Yaniv’s postcards he had sent to her were still in it, along with a message that said to mail them back.
If you couldn't already tell, I loved Catfish. I generally do not like movies, but documentaries are my weakness. In order for a film to grab my attention, It needs to have a superb plot, a wonderful script, and maybe a large budget (although 3D turns me off more than anything). However, Catfish probably had a budget of $100, the plot was real life, so the twists and turns were just perfectly done, and again, the script was nonexistent, but everyone had such confidence and poise when they spoke. I feel like most people would enjoy this movie, because it's not exclusively interesting to just one group of people. My 10 year old cousin has a Facebook, but can only add his family at this point (per my aunt and uncle), so even he would get enjoyment out of it. The only bad thing I have to say about this film is that it gives online relationships a bad name. For instance, I'm in love with this couple that met over the Internet, named Mars Argo. Mars Argo and Titanic Sinclair met online, and fell in love, and now they live in Chicago, making music and artsy videos. It almost seems like the film is trying to ward off talking to strangers online, which I do not agree with. I subscribe to the old adage that strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.
