February 3, 2011
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Catfish
I just finished watching Catfish. It's a documentary about a guy who, through Facebook, meets a young artist and her family, eventually leading to an online romance with her older sister. His brother and friend document the relationship, including phonecalls and texts, and gifts sent through the mail. It doesn't take long for the subject and his filmographers to realize things aren't what they seem.
I was watching this movie while I was working (I have a part-time "high school dream job" at a little indie video store) and one of our customers recognized it on the screen. "Is this Catfish?" he asked. "It's so creepy." While I can see why he'd say that, I disagree. Completely. I think this may be one of the saddest films I've ever seen. I would even go out on a limb and call it profoundly sad - mostly because I don't know if the filmmakers realize how very heartbreaking it is.
This movie absolutely captures the isolation of our "connected" age and the desperation it breeds. A part of me understands that I'm watching this through priveleged eyes (emotionally, intellectually - not because I am better or more, but because I have been lucky enough to live a life that encourages me to be introspective and self aware). I realize that some of my empathy is just costumed condescension. But I am part of this age, too, and I know these feelings - even if I know better than to act on them. I recognize the regret of wasted and lost time.
This movie is a cautionary tale, maybe. Or it is what it is - a documentary.
It just documents more than the people in it.g.
Comments (2)
Compelled to seek this out.
I know that isolation all to well-rather I see it across the internet.
I think I understand very well what you say.
xox
j a n e
A friend and I keep having conversations about how we really wish we could get rid of our facebook pages and, yet, somehow just... can't. Not because facebook itself is terribly interesting, but because it seems to be the easiest way to seek people out, or for people to seek you out--even in "real life". What I mean is, I sort of have this idea that if I am not available to the world in this one particular way, I risk isolating myself because I'm afraid everyone else is too lazy to go through the effort of finding me in some other way, if they want to. And I'm afraid of not knowing how to find other people, too.
And that is weird and strange. My grandfather had the most well-kept address book I've ever seen. There are ways.
h.
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