Catfish is a documentary that follows Yaniv “Nev” Schulman
on a journey through an online relationship. It started when Nev received a
painting of one of his photos from an eight-year-old artist named Abby Pierce.
After receiving the painting, Nev and Abby became friends on Facebook. This
opened the flood gate to include Abby’s family: her mother, Angela; her father,
Vince; and her attractive older half-sister, Megan. Through their correspondence,
Nev develops a strong friendship with both Abby and Angela. But with Megan, the
friendship is on the verge of evolving into a relationship. And it is that relationship
that is the focus of the documentary.
Not many who watch the documentary expect a happy ending for
Nev. Most can tell that there’s just something not quite right about Megan’s
story. And that suspicion gets solidified when she sends him MP3s of song
covers that she claims to have performed for him. But, Nev discovers that they
are all taken from performances on YouTube. He later finds evidence that Angela
lied about other details of Abby's art career, like the gallery they claimed to
have bought. Nev & co. decide to travel to Michigan in order to make an
impromptu appearance at the Pierces' house and confront Megan directly. While
talking with Abby and her friend alone, Nev learns that Abby never sees her
sister and rarely paints.
When he confronts Angela, she admits that she lied about the
whole thing and that she was Megan. She claimed that Abby really did have a
sister named Megan, and that she was checked into a rehabilitation center
called Dawn Farms. But, this was later revealed to be a lie. At the end of the
film, we find out that even after all of the lying and deceit, Nev still
remains friends with Angela.