Review of Catfish (2010) by Jase H — 04 Nov 2013

Catfish, made on the cheap with digital video, cell-phone cams, and hidden mikes, raises all sorts of questions - about the imaginary realms that open when you click on your computer screen, about cyber-stalking, but also about journalistic ethics. If you begin with the premise that all films, docs and dramas, are constructs of one sort or another and it's the how and why that's important, you'll have fun pulling this apart. The film tells a devastating story that couldn't be more relevant to our times, who we are in real life versus the way we present ourselves online. The facts in the film are slippery, but the revelation of a human personality is surprisingly moving. There's no denying its strong narrative or its emotional pull. And the film's computer-influenced visual style is very much of the moment. At the end of this exquisitely poignant film, it's clear we humans are going to need a refreshed emotional skill set if we're to make sense of the real relationships we forge in our virtual worlds. Catfish is absolutely riveting, and even nerve-wracking as Joost and the Schulmans get progressively closer to learning more about their "friends.".

VERDICT: "High-Quality Stuff" - [Positive Reaction] This is a rating to a movie I view as very entertaining and well made, and definitely worth paying the full price at a theatre to see or own on DVD. It is not perfect, but it is definitely excellent... (Films that are rated 3.5 or 4 stars).