(2010)
I have always had mixed feelings about film reviews, the vast majority of which seem to be a recounting of plot (I try, with limited success, to avoid doing that in these posts). I feel the same way about trailers, though to a lesser degree. While debating whether or not to see Catfish, I decided to seek out the trailer. I turned it off after hearing the first sentence, which was congruous with my beliefs about any film: “The less you know about this movie, the better.” And so with that caveat, I will try to talk in general terms about the film. But you may want to just stop reading and go watch it. (Furthermore, the poster below warns, "don't let anyone tell you what it is").
The term “documentary film” denotes a rather broad classification. While technically referred to as a doc, Catfish is unique in that it is a reality-based film with a narrative structure (though its authenticity has been the subject of debate). Without any intent to cheapen the film, once could argue that it is made in the genre of reality-television. Cameras just seem to be omnipresent as the characters live their lives. As they make realizations, the audience experiences them concurrently. Typical of most fiction films, Catfish is successful in taking the audience on an emotional journey.Serendipitous doesn’t truly capture just how lucky the filmmakers were to capture the journey they took. As the subjects are presented in the beginning of the film, the endgame is unfathomable. And that is exactly why many have questioned the film’s authenticity. Had Catfish been a script, it could have been a great one. It’s hard to imagine that not only did these events actually occur, but that these three guys documented it all from the very beginning.
I questioned the films authenticity as I watched it, as I’m sure any active viewer would also do. But I was never convinced that it was a fake because there’s no way these unknowns could act as convincingly as they appear in the film. However, some people do believe that the film is a hoax, including Zach Galifianakis. Ariel Schulman responded to these claims in an interview with the MovieFone blog:
"Zach, thank you. That makes Henry and I the two best screenwriters in Hollywood, and Nev is the best actor since Marlon Brando," if that's the case. You know we're not that smart; we just have good instincts. We know when people are being fake.The fact that this question has been raised begs the question: does it matter? I suppose there may be some legal issues at stake. But from a purely theoretical standpoint, I would contend that it doesn’t matter at all if this story is true or not. Either way, the film is disconnected from it’s creators and left to stand alone for audiences to experience and perceive. I’m sure there are those who would disagree with me. After all, in the beginning of Fargo, the Cohen brothers included text indicating that, other than name changes, the events in the film took place exactly as presented (which isn’t the case). They believed that if the audience believed they were watching a film based on actual events, it would change their perception of it.
It’s classification as a documentary would obviously be at stake if the film turns out to be a hoax. But regardless of the legitimacy of Catfish, the film is quite entertaining and worth a viewing. It is like no other doc out there. At it’s strongest points, it is downright suspenseful.
official film site * trailer * buy it here
Trivial Tidbits:
- The film took in $257,285 on 12 screens during its opening weekend in September of 2010
- *** Major spoiler alert *** Aimee Gonzales, the Vancouver, WA native whose pictures were used by Angela to portray her daughter Megan, was compensated for her involuntary role in the film
- The "Catfish" Lawsuit (posted to ifc.com, 12/3/10)
