Yesterday I was offered a ticket to a pre-screening of a documentary about a photographer, Nev Shulman, who comes into contact with an eight year old painter, Abby and her family.
I was told at first that it was about two people who met on facebook and the documentary fallows the two in their daily routines of communication. Well I was expecting some very cheesy love story of how the two fell in love over the net. But that was clearly not the case as my friend and I sat intrigued in this roller coaster of plot twists and scandal.
I have met some pretty decent people over the net and am surprised later when I find out their real names aren't even what they say they are. and Yes even I have my aliases online. However I don't make an elaborate storyline of my life of how I'm a secret agent hit woman with super powers, and can suck the blood out of your heart using a device that looks like a handy vac. Although that would make for an awesome character in a comic book....hmmmmm....note to self start writing about said character.
Anyway back to the reason why I'm writing this blog. Nev Shulman's brother and best friend decide to document this strange relationship as it unfolds into complete dissaray and nothing is as it seems. I am surprised I didn't see this guy cry. The emotions that you go through watching this movie is almost like a woman with a hormonal imbalance. One moment your laughing, next your crying, then your angry, and then your happy again.
There were few things that did bug me about this documentary though.
1.The camera angles were frustrating. I know that cameras now have a function called zoom but that doesn't mean we want to see up the persons nose the whole time he's on screen.
2. I am thrilled to see that google maps and a GPS helped you track down this person, however, using it as a way to fill up minutes so there would be no holes in your story was just that a waist of time. I'm sure you have footage of your crazy car games that you played to keep each other from jumping out of the car of boredom.
3. Many shots were grainy, I know you wanted to see the story from all angles so you used all the cameras you had at your disposal. but it was a bit distracting to go from a great HD shot and then to a grainy digital shot of the same angle.
Now I am in no way a professional film maker, all my vids I do online I use to edit on Windows Movie Maker and I think I do a great job with editing my stuff together. But you guys have had your hands on expensive equipment why did it look like juveniles put it together?
Keep in mind I do not do alot of movie critiquing because I like to make sure that other people form their own opinions on what a movie is like. I hate movie critiques. All to often they will pick apart a real great movie and then say nothing bad about the crappy film.
"Catfish" is a great film and I do recommend going to see it. Nev Shulman and company, I wish you well in your endeavors. Please don't take my critiques to heart I work as a barista and I do have hopes to one day work in a radio station, so my experience on making films are from what I learned in Broadcasting school. Thanks for sharing this film to the world.
And as for the morons who are online messing with people and thinking that there is no harm in messing with someones head, I hope you will see this movie and think twice before you get too involved.
Have a good one peeps.
