For those of you who have seen the elusive Catfish, whether you hated or loved it, you have to admit that it has one of the best movie trailers of 2010. The trailer begins innocently enough, chronicling young love, yet it quickly evolves into something dark and ominous. The fade out right before the main character peeks into a barn window is one of the most well-edited and suspenseful cliffhangers I have ever witnessed.  From the atmosphere and vibe of the trailer, one would expect Catfish to be an unrelenting documentary horror film, akin to Paranormal Activity or The Blair Witch Project.

You could not be more wrong.

Universal Picture’s indie gem Catfish follows the plight of young New York photographer Nev Schulman. Nev’s younger brother, Ariel, and his best friend Henry, are both film school students and decide to document Nev’s innocent relationship with eight year-old Abbey, an artistic prodigy from Michigan. Nev first encounters Abbey on Facebook when she asks his permission to paint one of his photos that he recently uploaded. Nev agrees and is soon sent an incredible watercolor replica of the photo through the mail. Nev is impressed and thus allows Abbey to paint more of his photos in order to build up her portfolio. He adds Abbey’s mom, older sister and several members of their extended family over Facebook and finds himself becoming involved in their lives without having met any of them.

Soon, Nev begins developing a more intimate relationship online with Abbey’s attractive older sister Megan.  After several months pass, Nev decides to take the relationship to the next level and plans a surprise visit to Abbey’s family farm on a weekend. Ariel and Henry follow Nev on his trip with their video cameras rolling. To say anything more would be spoil one of the most thought-provoking films in recent memory.

Catfish is filmed from the point of view of the two impartial observers, Ariel and Henry, who in turn represent the audience. The film is primarily made up of footage of the characters’ experience. As far as authenticity goes, the film certainly feels realistic, but the jury is still out on that one. It is difficult to write a review for Catfish without spoiling the film, and Universal has gone to great lengths to try to preserve the film’s secret – at the secret screening I attended, they threatened to throw you out of the theater if they so as much as saw a glow from a cell phone or digital camera. The marketing strategy that is being utilized is difficult to maintain when the allure of the film is so tightly entwined with the shocking ending. But I suggest holding back and seeing the film cold.

Catfish is not a horror film – that is not to say, however, that there aren’t some incredibly tense scenes. It’s a tragic love story that weaves it way through our dependability on technology. While the film The Social Network documents the rise of Facebook, Catfish reveals its disturbing effect on our society. This is a film that could not have been made five years ago. It survives purely on its relevancy and mystery. And, strangely enough, that is all it needs.

Catfish is a well-made documentary that has a lot to say about our culture. Will it induce paranoia? Yes. Will it make you think twice about accepting that friend request? Definitely.

As the film’s enigmatic posters cryptically declare: “Don’t Let Anybody Spoil It for You.”

Overall rating: 3 out of 4 Stars