Don't bother hooking this 'Catfish'

To alliviate confusion, this is the other Facebook movie. This isn't the new David Fincher film that chronicles the origin of a communication sensation. It's a documentary drama that captures the making of a romantic relationship through the internet, and the lies that can be told when not interacting face-to-face. Catfish tackles an interesting premise that's relevant to the situation of today's countless social networking interactions. The story, camera techniques, and approach to the suspense genre make for what seems to be a small, yet promising thriller; but doesn't deliver as a whole.

Yaniv Schulman is a young photographer living in New York City with his filmmaker brother, Ariel, and his friend, Henry Joost, who is also a filmmaker. One day, Nev receives an e-mail from an eight-year-old named Abby, who lives in Michigan. She has seen one of Nev's photos in a newspaper, and asks for permission to create a painting from it. After getting his approval, she paints the portrait, and mails it to him. Astounded by how professional it looks, Nev doesn't know whether Abby is a fraud or a child prodigy. Soon, he decides to call the family for the first time, and starts talking to Abby's alluring 19-year-old sister, Meghan. After some romantic exchanges between the two digital lovers, Nev, Ariel, and Henry decide to make a surprise trip to Michigan to finally meet the family. However, once they make it to their destination, Meghan's family isn't at all what they appeared to be.

The problem with Catfish is that it ends as you would think. There could have been a tweak to what was expected, but no. It concludes with a disappointing emotional twist, rather than a shocking psychological twist. The acting from everyone in the cast fits in suitably with the plot material; but it can't save the movie from the obvious direction in which it's going. All of the suspense evaporates halfway through the film when we finally see the family. At that point, Catfish turns into a completely different movie. It goes from a documentary mystery, to a documentary about the family. Catfish should have been one of those films that keeps you in its grip until the end. It holds you, but as the story progresses, it slowly releases you.

Final grade: C