Thursday, January 27, 2011

Catfish Movie Review Paper

Imagine yourself traveling down a winding road; you think you know what’s around the corner, and then suddenly there’s a violent curve that throws your balance off. The movie Catfish is a perfect example of this type of phenomenon. Each scene becomes more intense as the movie progresses. If you’re a social media fan, this is definitely a movie for you. Catfish is an unbelievable documentary that will surprise you at every turn. Each scene brings the social media life to a new level. If brain teasers are up your alley, then this movie will definitely keep your interest. In many scenes the viewer is shown how evil the social networking world can become. Be careful what you believe, because everything is not always what it appears to be. The film crew will take you on a life changing adventure. You too may change your whole view on social media as it is today. This is a worthwhile, suspenseful movie you’ll never forget; go out and rent it today.

Catfish was first seen at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010, and was a huge hit. The film’s directors are Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. The movie is classified as a documentary. The movie was produced in late 2007-2008, and was released in the United States on September 17, 2010. New York, Utah, Michigan and Chicago are a few of the settings the movie occurs in. Actors in the movie include Abby Pierce, Angela Wesselman-Pierce, Yaniv Schulman (Nev), and Megan who is Abby’s stepsister. Vince Pierce also plays a crucial role in the production. The movie is about a Facebook relationship that begins because of a photograph taken by Nev. As the movie progresses and the plot changes dramatically; you will be left speechless.

One of the main characters in the movie is Yaniv Schulman, or as we know him, Nev. Nev is a 24 year old photographer who has had his pictures of dances published in the newspaper. Abby is an eight year old artist who sent Nev a painting of his published work. Nev thinks that Abby’s paintings are phenomenal. Abby and Nev become fast friends over Facebook; however, they never speak over the phone. Angela is Abby’s mother who Nev also has a relationship with. She plays a role that becomes vital as the movie progresses. Ariel, who is Nev’s brother and one of the producers of the movie, is always nearby either filming or giving Nev advice. Megan is Abby’s stepsister whom Nev forms a personal relationship with. They become so close that the pair virtually dates for nine months. As the movie advances, Megan’s role becomes larger and even stranger. We don’t end up meeting Vince, Angela’s husband, until the end of the movie, however, when we do, his role clarifies the movie as a whole. The role of Facebook and social media in this movie brings along a character of its own. It further develops the plot and creates the twists and turns that are yet to come.

There are a few pivotal moments in the movie. To begin, Nev and Megan have been carrying on a relationship and Nev thinks he has a pretty good understanding of who Megan is. They text, send messages via Facebook, and talk on the phone frequently. Megan is an aspiring songwriter/musician. Megan sends Nev recordings of her singing, and to Nev, Ariel and Henry she sounds amazing. In the movie there is a moment when Nev finds out Megan’s music is actually not hers at all. When the men look up the songs online, they discover an inconsistency between what Megan told them and the truth. They play the songs and oddly enough those original songs on YouTube, sound exactly like Megan. They come to realize that the person singing is not Megan at all. They wonder what else they have been tricked about so they decide to go to Michigan and find out. This is the climax of the movie and everything from this point forward turns into a downward spiral. Needless to say the “relationship” between Nev and Megan is over.

Catfish is a movie that we can all learn from. It shows us the dangers of the social media world and in particular, Facebook. I would definitely recommend this movie. I learned so many things from watching this movie, including that Facebook can be a dangerous place in the virtual world. I think everyone could pick up a message or two from Catfish. Our world is increasingly full of online relationships, and this shows the potential dangers of that. I think people ages thirteen and up would enjoy this movie. Mainly because social media is so influential and prevalent in most of our lives and the lessons are more applicable. I personally liked it because I am a huge social media type person. I am always on my phone or on Facebook like a large population of our world is today. People who are interested in social media will definitely be intrigued by this movie. The curriculum used in our class Writing for the 21st Century, including the movie Catfish, has opened my eyes to the future of social media, which mainly revolves around the internet, texting and further advancements in technology. This movie reminded me of the technology papers we wrote in class earlier in the quarter. Mobile technology is becoming an increasingly important part of society and it will continue to be in the future as well. This movie tied the whole class together for me. It is a documentary that is full of action, drama and love. Catfish truly is a must see film.

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