Are You A Catfish?

This weekend, I was finally able to find a screening of the highly-anticipated “reality thriller” Catfish. Having made the mistake of watching the trailer a week before its premiere, I was so curious as to what the mysterious twist, which according to critics would change my life, would be that I was willing to travel 45 minutes to find out. After 94 minutes filled with hand-held camera work, banter, and close-ups of Facebook profiles, I can promise you that my life is not changed. However, once separated from its previews, Catfish is an interesting film that stands on its own.

The film focuses on a professional photographer named Nev who begins a friendship with a young girl in Michigan after she sends him a painting of one of his photos. As their correspondence grows, Nev also creates relationships with other members of the family, taking a special interest in 19-year old Megan. When some of the family’s stories don’t line up, Nev and two filmmakers (brother Rel and friend Henry) decide to pay Megan a visit. As far as the rest of the plot goes, I really shouldn’t spoil it, I wouldn’t want to contradict the film’s tagline, “Don’t let anyone tell you what it is.”

The appeal of Catfish did not lie in fancy technology, particularly strong acting, or an air-tight plot line. The budget was extremely low, there were no effects and a very minimal score, and no one involved in this project will be winning any awards for cinematography. Yes it was cheesy, and maybe it was staged. The fact of the matter is that I do not care if this movie was real or fake. In spite of its shortcomings, however, I have not been able to criticize Catfish all that harshly.  The film had a certain je ne sais quoi, this intangible quality that forced me to like it. Perhaps for the same reason that I would root for the Cubs over my beloved Red Sox, I really wanted to see Catfish succeed.

I spent the majority of the film waiting for a shocking twist, some strange inciting moment, that would splash the plot with a little bit of clarity. And when that moment came, I was a somewhat disappointed. No axe murderer? No need for an exorcism? No ventriloquist with a host of cannibalistic dummies? The twist seemed anticlimactic at first, a letdown after the shock and awe promised in the trailer. But the more I think about it, the more I realize the movie could not have ended any other way. It was a sincere look at loneliness, at the truth, and perhaps most importantly, at the Facebook generation--global connection is just a click away.

The verdict? Go and see Catfish. If the film (I would call it a documentary, but inquiries are being made into its authenticity) is not released in more than a handful of cinemas, at very least rent it when it goes to DVD. But do not expect a gruesome crime scene drama filled with unspeakable accounts of human cruelty. Just watch, take it for what it is, and keep guessing  at the significance of the title.

Oh, and don’t watch the trailer.

No quotes, no preview. Just a recommendation.