Catfish

 

Catfish is a film about a man who strikes up an online friendship with a seemingly ordinary family, and that's about all you need to know. The element of surprise is a vital weapon in this film's arsenal, as the likable Nev Schulman – his every move captured by his brother Ariel and co-director Henry Joost – gradually discovers the strange truth behind the Pierce family's façade. Catfish is a documentary constructed with the tautness of a thriller, and the filmmakers sustain the sense of tension and mystery with great skill, doling out revelations at expertly timed intervals. In fact, the film's twisting and outrageous narrative occasionally raises suspicions; are we truly watching a documentary, or is this simply an artfully composed fiction? Catfish will leave you with plenty of nagging questions, but whatever the truth behind the story, this is an extraordinary, provocative film and one that grips like a vice right up to the troubling and moving finale. [Philip Concannon]