There’s been much (and much and much) ado about upcoming Facebook movie The Social Network, based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich, but relatively little buzz has descended upon another social media movie soon to debut: Catfish.
Catfish is a documentary tale about a photographer, Nev Schulman, who is contacted by an eight year old girl, asking permission to paint one of his photographs. Her ensuing painting draws Nev into a Facebook relationship with her and her family – and, ultimately, a romance with the girl’s older sister. According to the synopsis by Universal Pictures, unsettling information about Nev’s love interest prompts him, his brother Ariel, and Henry Joost – the latter two both filmmakers – to take a road trip to uncover the truth.
So while filmed in documentary format, at its heart Catfish is a mystery deeply rooted in social media, that asks us questions about the fronts and, sometimes facades, we put up when social networking. How far-reaching are the ramifications when we disclose, or fail to disclose, details about ourselves and our lives? And, as Nev Schulman ponders during an interview with CNET, “Can you call your friend and go have dinner and talk about stuff without having to put it out in front of millions of people?”
Catfish received a lot of attention at the Sundance Film Festival this year. Critics have praised it for its unnerving roller-coaster ride of a conclusion and warned audiences the final forty minutes of the film will haunt them. It’s slated for release on September 17th in select cities, but bravely, its cross-country full release will come on the same day as The Social Network, October 1st. [via InventorSpot]
The full Catfish HD trailer can be found on YouTube.
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