documentary about the friendship between Nev Schulman, a 24-year-old photographer, and his Facebook pal Abby, an 8-year-old painting prodigy. The film starts as a cuddly story about their online connection, but as Nev gets more involved with the girl, her 19-year-old sister, and the rest of her eccentric family, he wonders if things aren’t quite what they seem. Viewers have had the same doubts about the movie itself; the pulse-pounding suspense and brain-pretzel plot twist seem too good to be true — an accusation the filmmakers deny.” This sort of reaction didn’t even occur to us until someone at Sundance asked if it was real,” says Ariel Schulman (Nev’s brother), who codirected the film. Catfish is just one in a series of movies — Joaquin Phoenix’s I’m Not Here, Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop — that audiences have suspected of blurring fact and fiction.

At least one thing about Catfish is certain: It’s the first film to depict digital life with any sense of authenticity. (There are more shots of Facebook in the opening minutes than in the two-plus hours of The Social Network.) What’s more, the filmmakers deftly use digital platforms as plot devices, stringing us along with every status update and Google map. And you know what totally makes up for any creative embellishment? Pioneering a new genre: the social-media whodunit.

Authors: Rick Paulas

to know more click here