Catfish is not a true story. This is something that's extremely easy to forget. The movie is a documentary style film that is so effective, part of you will wish the characters were real, while the other part of you is thankful some of them are complete fabrications. Nev is a photographer. He's friendly, likable, and moderately successful. He works in an office with his brother and his friend, two filmmakers. Nev's world is normal like yours and mine. Then through mail and online correspondence, he is introduced to a family in Michigan who saw one of his published photographs, and wants to see more. Their relationship seems odd but exciting, so Nev's brother and friend decide to make a documentary featuring these new acquaintances.
The film reinvents itself three or four times. What starts out as a light romantic comedy ultimately evolves into something dreadful...but all together brilliant. If you know nothing about this movie going in, don't do any research. It's more fun to let the mystery unravel. I could go on and on about the clever plot, brilliant twists, and perfect ending, but I would not want to spoil even the smallest detail. All I will say is that Catfish is one of the year's best films, and scores and 8.5 out of 10.
Family Take: Anyone in your family who has a Facebook account will probably want to see this movie. It's rated PG-13 and that's just about right. There are some very dark and tense moments, but the biggest objection for parents will be a short segment dealing with "sexting". It's not overly graphic, but it's bound to make some viewers uncomfortable. There is also some mild profanity.
If You Like Catfish Try: Bubble is a great film that is a completely different mystery tale told in the same documentary style.
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