Catfish

I am fascinated by strange people, people with lives that are the complete opposite of my own. I watch shows like Hoarders, Obsessed, Intervention, Dexter, the First 48.. all these shows about people that are just weird, off.. not right.

I know that I saw a commercial for the movie Catfish. I remember the end saying don't let anyone ruin this for movie for you or something like that. Didn't think much of it, didn't really think about it again.

I listen to the Bobby Bones Show on podcast everyday. Since I don't work on Fridays, I usually listen to Friday's show on Sunday when I'm at work. So last night, I was listening.. and they were talking about this movie. Bobby explained about the movie, that these 3 film makers get into contact with this 8 year old girl, who paints pictures for him. He gets to know her whole family and actually falls in love with her older sister, Megan. Then one day he goes to meet her.. and then ????? It's a big cliff hanger.. what do these film makers find when they get there. Bobby suggests that it's some nasty fat man.

While I am listening to the podcast, I am also scanning Facebook on my phone. There is a post by a good of ours, Reno. He is trashing this movie, saying it's complete garbage. Allison, Reno's girlfriend and also my good friend comments on the post saying that indeed, this movie is garbage.

Now my curiosity is sparked. I want to know what is up with this movie. I don't understand, first of all.. why this 8 year old girl is contact with this man or men. I get online, and I go to Netflix. I just wanted to read the summary of the movie. I didn't get much from that, because it said what I already knew. I started reading the reviews posted on Netflix. I wanted to find a spoiler, because I know that I never go to the movies anymore.. and I wanted to know more about this now!

I read one of the spoiler reviews, and I found out what the deal was. I still didn't feel like I understood the whole story though! I gave up and got back to work.

Work got slow, and back on Facebook I went. I came back across the post from Reno and saw more comments. A friend of theirs commented that she saw the whole story on 20/20. Ding, Ding, Ding.. I DVR 20/20 every week!

When I got home, Cash had just woken up... and I made him a bottle. I flipped on the TV and pulled up 20/20 and watched the first 20 minutes or so while Cash finished his bottle. I had gotten the whole beginning story, and just about the time of the reveal.. Cash finished his bottle.

I started feeling a bit scared or freaked out.. I have no idea why because I already knew. I thought ok.. I can go to sleep now and finish it in the morning.. or I stay up, watch this.. and may get completely freaked out and not be able to sleep. I decided to shut it off and go to bed.

I woke up this morning and finished the story. I really do not know how I feel about it. It's actually really sad. I did not know that this movie was being promoted as a freaky, Hitchcock type movie.. but, knowing the end.. I can see Reno's point, I would be disappointed too.

Since I had no expectations, and I'm intrigued by the odd balls of the world.. I liked it. I don't know that it would make a good movie.. but, it was an interesting 20/20.

**Now for my spoiler**

There is a lady, who likes to paint. She is actually very good at painting existing photographs. She tries to sale her paintings but no one is interested. She is a wife, mother and step-mother. Her step children are "handi" and her husband, well he looks about "handi" himself. Her life is nothing like she wants. She continues to paint pictures, now under the identity of Abby, her 8 year old daughter.

Somewhere else, there are 3 film makers.. filming their everyday lives. One of the men, has a photo of his published in a newspaper.

"Abby" sees this picture, paints it.. and mails it to the man. He receives it, likes it, thinks its really cool. They stay in contact and he continues sending her pictures to paint. He speaks with her "mother" to make sure she approves because he is no creep or perv. Facebook enters the picture somewhere in here.

The mother/painter creates fake Facebook pages for all of "Abby's" family. Her brother, mother, sister, father, cousins, baby sitter... This guy has no idea that all this is coming from a 40 some odd year old lady's brain. Eventually, this guy starts to fall in love with "Abby's" older sister, Megan. They communicate through text, Facebook and the phone. Dirty chat and everything.

His two other buddies, are filming all of this with him..

One day, they are instant messaging and she sends him a clip of her singing. Somehow, I don't know remember why.. but, they decided to google or you tube the name of this song. They play the you tube clip and it's the exact same singing.. exact same song. They are now suspicious.

Since they have been filming all of this, they decide to go to where ever it is that she lives.. to see what the deal is, and who this person really is.

When they get there.. they go to several of the addresses she had given them, addresses to the supposed studio where her paintings where supposed to be and some other places as well. All of these places where abandoned buildings.

These men, actually sent their footage to their editor every day.. because, they thought that just maybe some guy would come out with a shot gun and kill them. They had no idea what they were walking in to.

They eventually, went to her actual house. When the lady answered the door, it was a very average, very long haired, frumpy woman. Her daughter Abby was running around, the two handi-sons, and the half handi-husband where there. No hot older sister.

20/20 talked with the lady, and basically just said that yeah, she made the whole thing up.. it was pretty much her escape from her real life. She had to get professional help to stop doing this.. to stop living the lie.

Even more into the story, 20/20 found the face of "Megan". The actual person in the photos that this lady was using. She was definitely weirded out by all of it.

That's the story. I usually don't post anything super long, but this has just been on my mind the last several hours.. and I had to get it out.