Intro: After the time jump to go through movie that are more relevant to this year's awards race, it's time to go back to where I left off. This is the second movie Niamh and I watched in Corfu, Greece.
Film 2409: "Unknown Number: The High School Catfish" (2025), Skye Borgman
Watched: From my laptop
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: Like most reality TV shows and documentaries produced by streaming platforms nowadays, "Unknown Number: The High School Catfish" is a documentary that feels more like fiction because of how it’s edited and how the story is told. There’s a plot twist after another, in a crescendo of tension and chaos that culminates in the reveal of what’s actually happening behind the scenes. In this case, who was behind the horrifying text messages that the teenage girl Lauryn Licari was receiving.
I almost struggle to consider this a documentary, considering how overly produced it seems: when you watch it, it almost feels like you’re watching a mockumentary (like the previous Netflix hit "American Vandal"). It almost feels fictional for how absurd the story is and how glossy and visually clean it looks. It’s so strange.
Overall, though, I found it very compelling. The story is insane, and it’s even more unsettling to think that this happened for real, and that the person who stalked and harassed a teenager, along with her boyfriend and friends, actually decided to take part in this film. I understand that this person was trying to give her version of the facts, but considering who they are in relation to Lauryn, it’s almost absurd to me that the production gave them a platform. Far from me to censor anybody, but what this person did is disgusting and horrifying, and part of me doesn’t think they deserved the screen time they got thanks to this production.
"Unknown Number: The High School Catfish" is definitely an entertaining piece of media, but there’s a voyeuristic component and exploitation that don’t sit well with me. The story is as shocking as it is sad, and seeing a young girl having to go through all of this and, in the end, still being able to feel compassion for the person who put her through hell… As a viewer, it’s quite hard to watch.
Cast: Lauryn Licari, Owen McKenny, Shawn Licari, Kendra Licari.
Box Office: /
Worth a watch?: Definitely a crazy ride; it all boils down to who the stalker and abuser is. If you’re up for real stories like this one, then go for it. Otherwise, it’s better to find something else to watch.
Awards: /
Key word: Messages.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi
Watched: From my laptop
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: Like most reality TV shows and documentaries produced by streaming platforms nowadays, "Unknown Number: The High School Catfish" is a documentary that feels more like fiction because of how it’s edited and how the story is told. There’s a plot twist after another, in a crescendo of tension and chaos that culminates in the reveal of what’s actually happening behind the scenes. In this case, who was behind the horrifying text messages that the teenage girl Lauryn Licari was receiving.
I almost struggle to consider this a documentary, considering how overly produced it seems: when you watch it, it almost feels like you’re watching a mockumentary (like the previous Netflix hit "American Vandal"). It almost feels fictional for how absurd the story is and how glossy and visually clean it looks. It’s so strange.
Overall, though, I found it very compelling. The story is insane, and it’s even more unsettling to think that this happened for real, and that the person who stalked and harassed a teenager, along with her boyfriend and friends, actually decided to take part in this film. I understand that this person was trying to give her version of the facts, but considering who they are in relation to Lauryn, it’s almost absurd to me that the production gave them a platform. Far from me to censor anybody, but what this person did is disgusting and horrifying, and part of me doesn’t think they deserved the screen time they got thanks to this production.
"Unknown Number: The High School Catfish" is definitely an entertaining piece of media, but there’s a voyeuristic component and exploitation that don’t sit well with me. The story is as shocking as it is sad, and seeing a young girl having to go through all of this and, in the end, still being able to feel compassion for the person who put her through hell… As a viewer, it’s quite hard to watch.
Cast: Lauryn Licari, Owen McKenny, Shawn Licari, Kendra Licari.
Box Office: /
Worth a watch?: Definitely a crazy ride; it all boils down to who the stalker and abuser is. If you’re up for real stories like this one, then go for it. Otherwise, it’s better to find something else to watch.
Awards: /
Key word: Messages.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi
