DID anyone see that "Catfish" documentary last night???

ImpossibleDuck · 04-05-2011 7:46pm #1

Oh my dear god...possibly the best thing I've ever seen on T.V (excluding movies). It was so compelling!!!

So basically this photographer Név, forms a friendship with a little 8 year old girl Abby, who paints his photographs and sends him the result. After emailing this girl for a while he meets her family on facebook and befriends them all...and takes a very keen interest in the little girl's 19 year old sister Megan, whom he practically falls in love with.

(All this is documented by his two amateur-filmmaker-roommates)

After he received an MP3 of Megan covering a song, he then realised that she had just got this from youtube and sent it to him, claiming it was her own.

He begins calling this family as he likes Megan, but after a while realises that any time he asks to talk to Abby, they have an excuse for why she is not there or able to talk. He soon begins to find more questionable clues and suspicious material.

They become suspicious...and decide to drive half-way across America to investigate (as it will make a good documentary)...but what did they find?

When he arrived, an old woman answers the door, and looks NOTHING like Abby's mother but claims she is the same person, he soon meets the father who also looks nothing like the pictures. Not long into their visit. This woman claims she has just started chemotherapy. This woman lives with her two very handicapped step-children and Abby. He stays for a while but there is no sign of Megan or Abby. He goes to a beach house where he meets Abby...they talk to her and she tells them that she doesn't paint and she hasnt seen her half-sister Megan in years - she doesn't even remember what she looks like. After spending a day or so in their company, Nev decides to non-harrassingly confront the woman and ask for an explanation.

She breaks down and admit that no one he has been talking to exists. Everyone was made up by her. She had made a whole network of people on facebook, all controlled by her and her husband didn't know he was included in this. She painted the photos and was clearly in love with Név...after all, she was Megan.

It's a really emotional moment when Név finds out the heartbreaking truth that his virtual love did not exist. She begins to speak to him in "Megan's voice" by his request - clearly he just wants closure, just wants to hear it for himself. After speaking to him in this voice she says, "And I'm going to stop this now, because I can see the pain this is causing you in your eyes".

It's a truly compelling documentary and I think it's one of the best pieces of film-making I've ever seen. I strongly recommend if possible, to watch this.

Here's the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg5r7hTldR0

Agus good day my friends

cashback · 04-05-2011 7:52pm

"It's a really emotional moment when Név finds out the heartbreaking truth that his virtual love did not exist. She begins to speak to him in "Megan's voice" by his request - clearly he just wants closure, just wants to hear it for himself. After speaking to him in this voice she says, "And I'm going to stop this now, because I can see the pain this is causing you in your eyes".

I think he was more in love with himself to be honest.

But yes it is an interesting doc and well worth watching to see how some people can let social networks shape their lives to an unhealthy degree.

ImpossibleDuck · 04-05-2011 7:58pm

cashback wrote: »

"It's a really emotional moment when Név finds out the heartbreaking truth that his virtual love did not exist. She begins to speak to him in "Megan's voice" by his request - clearly he just wants closure, just wants to hear it for himself. After speaking to him in this voice she says, "And I'm going to stop this now, because I can see the pain this is causing you in your eyes".

I think he was more in love with himself to be honest.

But yes it is an interesting doc and well worth watching to see how some people can let social networks shape their lives to an unhealthy degree.

wow really?...i actually felt that he seemed like a really genuine lad

DebDynamite · 04-05-2011 8:02pm

It's fake though isn't it?

ImpossibleDuck · 04-05-2011 8:19pm

DebDynamite wrote: »

It's fake though isn't it?

They, themselves maintain that it was real. But other filmmakers such as the guy who made "Supersize Me" apparantly accused it of being fake at a private screening. I like to believe that it was real.

ElleEm · 04-05-2011 8:22pm

I was actually really creeped me out near the end, after he "confronted" Angela about everything. His reaction was so strange to me.

Retrovertigo · 04-05-2011 11:21pm

Made a point of watching this tonight and regretted wasting my time. How anyone could believe it is beyond me.

Yahew · 04-05-2011 11:26pm

its a movie, not a documentary.

shamrock55 · 04-05-2011 11:33pm

anywhere i can watch this??

Retrovertigo · 05-05-2011 12:06am

Yahew wrote: »

its a movie, not a documentary.

It's marketed as a documentary.

ElleEm · 05-05-2011 2:23pm

Retrovertigo wrote: »

It's marketed as a documentary.

There is a lot of controversy on whether this is true or not.
I kind of watched it with a pinch of salt, but it was still interesting watching their interactions.

Tracy Lee · 18-05-2011 1:51pm

it is not a documentary. theres been lots on that since it was released. it is well made but just listen to the unbelievably wise monologue from the womans husband about life and the relevance of the term catfish towards the end. totally scripted. enjoyed it though

Da Shins Kelly · 27-05-2011 3:43pm

It's pretty good for what it is, which is a movie and not a documentary. It's an interesting investigation into the power that social networking sites have over people's lives. I found it quite unbelievable though. I didn't like the way it was advertised either. The ads for it almost made it seem like a horror movie or something, so the ending felt a little bit anti-climactic.

LisaLowlife · 30-05-2011 9:29am

Da Shins Kelly wrote: »

It's pretty good for what it is, which is a movie and not a documentary. It's an interesting investigation into the power that social networking sites have over people's lives. I found it quite unbelievable though. I didn't like the way it was advertised either. The ads for it almost made it seem like a horror movie or something, so the ending felt a little bit anti-climactic.

Couldn't agree more. I was told that the last 40 mins were just crazy and I was a little bit let down by the ending. False advertising.

Frank Black · 03-06-2011 7:08am

Just watched this last night - first hour seemed real but the last hour from when he meets Abby's mother seemed very scripted. I don't think it would have been possible to document everything they did if it had happened 'in real life'. - Interesting though.