“Don't let anyone tell you what it is” is the tagline that has Hollywood buzzing.
The film Catfish, which was officially released in theaters today, has been sparking debate about whether or not the alleged documentary film is in fact a real documentary.
The film takes place in 2007 when a man Ariel Schulman (a filmmaker) tapes his brother, Nev Schulman (a photographer) after receiving fan male from a family in Michigan. Over time Nev starts to form a relationship with one member of the family, 19-year-old Megan, over Facebook and drama ensues.
Universal Pictures, who produced the film, refuses to give too much of the plot away only stating that the film is about “social media and connections” and titling it as a reality thriller documentary.
The promotional poster for Catfish
There hasn't been much publicity for this film, yet that is what seems to be part of the appeal, but this isn't the first film to have this same marketing technique.
The Blair Witch Project grossed more than 14.5 million at the box office when it opened to shocked audiences in 1999 but later faced backlash after fans discovered the film was not an authentic documentary as it was advertised to be.
The same has occurred in more recent years with films like Cloverfield (2008), about a monster that attacks New York City. This film was obviously not real but still shot in the documentary style format that audiences loved and was the main draw in the films marketing. Cloverfield was successful raking in over 80 million at the box office.
The monster from Cloverfield (2008) This image was kept under wraps during promotions for the film
The Last Exorcism, which is currently number seven on the U.S. box office rankings, has grossed over 38 million so far. A similar horror counterpart, Paranormal Activity, which reportedly only took 11,000 to make and was even shot in the director's home to save money, profited 108 million in 2007.
A screenshot from Paranormal Activity (2007)
Which begs the question: Is this mock-documentary style of filmmaking the next big thing and does keeping the majority of a films details quiet bring more people to the theaters in the day and age where almost every part of a film is shown in the trailer?
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