A CATFISHING TALE WITH A CELEBRITY TWIST
By: Kaitlyn Simpson
Warning: This review may contain spoilers.
Since the popularity of Catfish, documentarians simply cannot get enough of stories involving people who assume a false identity – and audiences have demonstrated their devotion to all things fake, fraud, and con. As I write this, 14-years after the release of the iconic Catfish documentary, Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare currently sits as the top-watched movie on Netflix Canada.
Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara capitalizes on this fascination with a celebrity twist. Premiering at TIFF 2024, Fanatical tells the tale of a catfishing incident that targeted the fans of Canadian musician twin duo Tegan and Sara.
The film was made by seasoned documentarian Erin Lee Carr who is known for transforming headline-grabbing stories into feature documentaries. Carr has leaned into the increasing popularity of true crime and employs cinematic techniques like dramatic reenactments and cliffhangers to draw in audiences that may not typically watch the genre.
Like many true crime films, this documentary invites viewers to contemplate the culprit, evoking a sense of detective work from the comfort of one’s couch.
A significant portion of the film involves an examination on fan cultures in a digitized world, highlighting the good and the bad of ‘stanning’ your favourite celebrities. As the documentary notes, Tegan and Sara’s fanbase is uniquely queer which resulted in a highly passionate collective of fans who felt represented by their work.
Fans were also creating strong bonds between each other. Chat boards and online forums created opportunities for young queer women to form relationships and find community.
However, the drawback of this intensity can be dark. Someone, somewhere, somehow, chose to impersonate Tegan. Over time, the catfisher developed intimate friendships and relationships with multiple devoted fans through email and text messages. Not only did this prove destructive to those who truly believed they were communicating with their idol, but Tegan herself who feared for her safety as it became increasingly clear she had been hacked.
Tegan was not only present during the film, but an active participant in the making of the production. This is also true of Carr, who could be seen throughout the movie playing the part of detective attempting to identify the person behind ‘Fake Tegan’ or ‘Fegan’. Carr’s active participation in the mystery is reminiscent of investigative journalism, where tips are probed, and extensive research is conducted to get to the bottom of the story. Though it is clear in Fanatical that entertainment trumps any sort of journalistic endeavour.
Ultimately, the film leaves viewers wanting more. The conclusion was unsatisfying, and the narrative did not wrap up cleanly. Text and phone conversations with Carr and a suspected culprit added little narrative value; a conversation between Tegan and a hurtful victim of the catfishing scheme seemed like filler; and the moral of the story, presented in the film’s final moments, appeared disconnected and generic.
While catfishing tales are tempting to tell, Fanatical shows us that not all are worth the entirety of a feature length film.
Image Credit: IMDb and NBP