"CATFISH" FILM ANALYSIS 2
ONE OF MY FAVORITE PART OF THE “CATFISH” FILM, WAS WHEN THE OLDER MAN NAME VINCE PIERCE ON HIS PORCH BEGIN TO SPEAK SOME FISH WISDOM TO NEV BY SAYING “They used to tank cod from Alaska all the way to China. They’d keep them in vats in the ship. By the time the codfish reached China, the flesh was mush and tasteless. So, this guy came up with the idea that if you put these cods in these big vats, put some catfish in with them and the catfish will keep the cod agile. And there are those people who are catfish in life. And they keep you on your toes. They keep you guessing, they keep you thinking, they keep you fresh. And I thank god for the catfish because we would be droll, boring and dull if we didn't have somebody nipping at our fin”. I ALMOST WANTED VINCE IN HIS FORREST GUMP SOUNDING VOICE TO SAY “YOU KNOW YOU CAN JUST ABOUT FIND ALL KINDS OF CATFISH IN THAT VAT….YOU SEE NEV; THERE’S HOT CATFISH, BUBLEGUM CATFISH, BARBEQUE CATFISH, GARLIC CATFISH, CHEEZY CATFISH AND PICKLED CATFISH, MUSTARD CATFISH, HIDING CATFISH, DECEIVING CATFISH, AND THE MOST DESIRED ONE IS THE LIEING CATFISH; BECAUSE ITS REALLY A LOBSTER”.
OK, OKAY MAYBE IM TAKING IT A LITTLE TOO FAR. But the whole CODFISH/CATFISH analogy to me is THIS; people who deceive codfish are tail nipping-biting catfish, and the ones who get deceived are the dull and tasteless codfish who where dying on their journey to find love. Now the out of luck in Love codfish, is found sitting at the computer in a desperate state, and in comes this lying catfish to get the codfish pulse going again by making codfish imagination go wild, then Codfish runs and chases for information and for the truth even to the end of finding out about a Lie. But hopefully the human side of codfish will forgive, and pick herself/himself up again to one day find true friendships, true love and relationships. You see, The catfish shocks us at first and then resuscitate us back into life again.
We live in a society where perception is everything, and in watching this pseudo-documentary
Called “Catfish” I found a pretty good watch, although it started out kind of slow to gain my interest. But, I believe from the first impression Nev was intrigued from the little girl to Megan and even to Angela. And the chase was on. I kept wondering what makes people believe things without meeting a person. I mean, you get these occasionally texts or phone calls, but you never physically met this person and you open your heart and your mind and give your time to a person that’s not even real. Nev daily visuals of Megan and her pretending to play as an artist and singer along with other little connections via phone, I feel it started building up this Megan construction for Nev’s mind and heart, which Psychologically became a reality. It helps his perception to believed her. But as humans we have needs.
Once upon a time, we gained knowledge after we met a person and we then got to know them day to day and got to know how they react to many life situation and it help us to get to know them. But something seemed to have shifted when dating apps and websites and social media came along. We somehow threw caution to the wind and open the doorway to those stranger danger we so often was warned about as kids. We simply hand over the keys to our time, hearts, and mind and with some they even open their bank accounts.
It’s crazy that people are still being catfish today, we have become as prey to some selfish and deceiving people, who are only thinking of themselves. But on the other hand, we are sometimes met to feel sorry for them because they are lonely and looking for attention and Love, even if they must Lie to get it. It’s Sad that you have to have a whole romantic relationship formed in your head because you can’t see that person because they are avoiding you and have you on this wild goose chase because catfish is hiding behind the TRUTH to hide a lie. Scary because we live in a world where people can be whatever they want behind a computer to experience LOVE and acceptance and relationship as if they deserve it when they are giving you in return false HOPE and LIES.
I remember reading an article on how people can be catfished, I believe we are only human and make mistakes. But I read that the reason people get catfished is because the codfish/people are full of hope and make perfect prey because even if they have their doubts, they want to believe in the good in other people. They struggle with the question: “Why would anyone go through so much trouble to lie?” I thought this was very interesting to have read, people being catfished just for – HOPE.
I’ve been relating this movie a lot to our text book studies of Cultural Communication NEEDS. It plays a big part in this movie. In our text book for this class it talks about how Communications has many connections meeting NEEDS. For example; we have our physical NEEDS, relational NEEDS, Communications also fills our identity NEEDS and spiritual NEEDS along with our instrumental NEEDS. As, human we Long for that Human connection through Communication and we are willing to risk sometimes just to have it. Many people are catfished today like this movie, they even have a show called catfish. People start of having a common interest online then it turns to building relationships and to fill a need. Sparks can sometime fly between individuals as they pursue these relational needs via dimensions of internet and social media. I believe it adds a elements of mystery and excitement that people look for like Angela did to escape her reality. Nev I believe had a need too, to feel special and loved and Megan provided that as this film showed alone with gifts of Art and personal Song for him, I believe it instantly connected Nev to Megan on a primacy effect level and gave him a sense of belonging. It’s still crazy to me how you can meet someone without physically seeing and touching them, and have such strong ties and strong feelings toward them. Those feelings and ties can sometimes remain even after you find out about the lies a person was hiding. Nev adapted to the situation after finding out the hidden truth, Nev remained hanging around them and being at the house, and so quickly too. I believe he just wanted to know more of the answers to his why’s. But it proves that a bond was formed from the start. Even after the truth was exposed, Nev and Angela had a communications connection that developed as seen in this movie.
Conclusion, in a 2014 News article titled “The Psychology of Catfishing from its first Victim”. Leslie Horn in this interview asked Nev Schulman a question. She asked him, “Do you think catfishing always existed and we just didn’t see it?” Schulman replied “I think people have been dishonest and falsely representing themselves probably just as much over the course of history pre-internet. But they did it in real relationships where they perhaps spent months or years dating or married before the other person realized, like, "Oh my god, this guy is a total jerk, or he's cheating on me, or she's using me because she doesn't want to be alone." Now the internet just makes it sort of that much easier and accelerates that process because you can be doing it with multiple people at the same time from anywhere in the world. It sorts of just opened the community of individuals that would have otherwise had a harder time doing it, because in your town, one or two people start talking about how you're a liar, people are going to hear about it. But online, there's an endless supply of people who have no idea who you are, who have no relationship to you or your past who you can kind of bullcrap.”