Catfish Final Review

Do we really know the people we meet online? Millions of people use online sites such as Facebook to connect with others around the world, but how do we know who’s telling the truth? The movie catfish captures 3 young men trying to find the “people” they have been talking to for over 9 months on Facebook. These 3 men figure out that the multiple women they have been talking to online, maybe aren’t exactly who they say they are. Through many twists and turns Nev and his two friends get down to the bottom of this 9 month lie.

  The documentary named “Catfish” was created by the main character, Nev’s friends Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman.  These three men also account for most of the cast seeing as they are the main characters throughout most of the movie. In late 2007 Henry and Ariel decided to film Ariel’s brother Nev and his online friendship with a family over Facebook, they had no idea the drama that would unfold before them.  “Catfish” came out in 2010 and grossed over $3,000,000 at the box office. 

Nev is a well known photographer who lives in New York City. After one of his ballet pictures is published in the news paper he receives a package with a painting of that same picture, created by an 8 year old girl named Abby. Nev and Abby start a friendship over Facebook and soon Abby’s mom Angela and sister Meghan also friend Nev. Nev is touched by Abby's paintings, and begins to identify with the whole family. He learns of school plans, pie baking, Sunday family breakfast, and the horse farm that Abby's 19 year old sister, Megan, is buying. Nev and Meghan start conversing on the phone and soon their friendship turns into a long distance romance. When Nev starts finding flaws in the families’ stories he starts to grow questionable about what is true and what isn’t. Nev and his two friends decide to make a visit to Meghan’s farm and the family’s house, upon arrival at the farm they notice no one named Meghan even lives there. They then go to the family house the next morning and realize the family living there isn’t exactly what they expected.

I like the idea of the movie “Catfish,” I think its interesting how one social network could lead to so many friendships, which can lead to so many lies. I think the moral of this documentary is that you never really know who you are meeting online; people can lie about anything and get away with it. Angela came up with her own network of people; she created her own cyber web of lies. Nev found himself fooled by all of her fake stories and realized the “girl of his dreams” was a 40 year old women with kids and a husband.

I liked this movie because it shows everyone that Facebook isn’t “real life,” it’s a cyber world where anyone anywhere can stretch the truth. I didn’t like the movie because it gave Angela fame, which in my opinion she didn’t need. I would defiantly recommend this movie to adults and teenagers around our age. We are so attached to Facebook; I think people should see that their “friends” may not really be your friends. Everyone should know that it’s just as easy to lie on the internet as it is to tell the truth.