Sweet Bobby: Mein Catfishing-Albtraum

As I watched the film, I thought about all the judgement the lady would now have to face from a lot of people hearing her story but still, it turned out to be worse than I predicted.

I didn't come here with intentions to defend Kirat because I was frustrated with her actions A LOT but I am actually more appalled by the reaction to her experience; the attacks and the total lack of empathy. So I decided to add something different.

I cannot understand why people are so extremely angry with her that she believed the story of the abuser. And I mean, extremely angry, even furious at times! It didn't happen to you. She didn't hurt you or anybody else.

The question of "how could she be that stupid?" is repeated with harsher synonyms, even though the main reason is provided in the film multiple times: Kirat was born and raised in a family and culture that believes getting married and having children are one of the best and most important things in life. I don't believe that at all but I accepted the crazy thought that there are women with different goals and priorities than mine ;) Kirat explained what she felt at that time: inside and outside pressure to be like others in the community, fear of being too old to have a baby, being judged, disapproved and simply alone. It's nothing new and uncommon that she was easy to be manipulated and abused in that situation.

If you have never met a smart person struggling to get out of the abusive relationship and if you didn't check but you know you could have never ever been manipulated and exploited by a close person nobody would even think of suspecting, then this film should make you feel very clever and superior. But also very angry at the victim for blaming a particularly twisted perpetrator. But I wish you didn't watch it or at least comment unless you have some empathy ;)

Very interesting how this sort of thing can happen. But my first thought was throughout the whole entire movie was how come they never did FaceTime? I don't know if it was mentioned in the movie if maybe I wasn't listening as to why there was no FaceTime? She was on Skype! Because that would solve the mystery straight away!

It is very sad what she has gone through. I don't know if I could've been fooled for that long tho. I would have been wanting to see them in real time! Plus also how did this female cousin trick and speak to her and sound like a man? I don't know it all sounds very suss to me. She seemed like an intelligent woman, I don't know how she could be fooled for so long?

Either way it was enjoyable at the end of the day so I gave it a 7.

I feel this documentary would have been better if it had covered a few women or men who were catfished under similar circumstances, instead of just one person.

While the story of Kirat is compelling, I feel it couldn't really fill nearly 1.5 hours. It just felt too stretched out and repetitive at times.

Alternatively, had the documentary also interviewed the fake Bobby or a few others who whose identities were stolen, then I think it would have been really interesting.

Of course, that might have been too difficult, given the sensitive nature of the events. Still, it would have been useful to the audience to understand better what and why it happened.

Definitely a cautionary tale for all.

Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare touches on the darker side of social media and its impact on individuals, particularly within the Facebook ecosystem. It highlights how the documentary exposes stories of countless victims whose experiences often go unnoticed, shedding light on how people become consumed by carefully curated images rather than real-life connections. The point about gullibility, especially concerning Kirat, challenges viewers to consider the widespread nature of this issue - suggesting it's not just about individual naivety, but a reflection of how social media platforms like Facebook shape behavior, particularly in places like India.

While I acknowledge that people are more aware of these dangers now, it is an interesting contrast, noting that they weren't as cautious in the earlier days of social media. Conclusion, giving it a 7 out of 10, seems fair and balanced, recognizing the documentary's relevance but also implying there's more to be explored.

Hopefully Kirat doesn't read the reviews shaming her. Unfortunately at times of vulnerability we are all vulnerable. A woman who is going through a bad breakup finds solace and comfort from a friend on Facebook. The friend is connected to family members who know him so she of course thinks he's safe. The relationship progresses and like any story of abuse she finds herself in a web that's hard to get out of. Then her whole world turns completely upside down when she realizes she's been catfished. I thought the documentary on the whole was well done. I think it actually would have been better to not have disclosed the catfish crime in the title. Basically as I'm watching I'm distracted by wondering who 'sweet Bobby' really is and not the story. Other than that I applaud Kirat for participating in making this film, couldn't have been easy. I appreciate her courage and hope that films like this do save others from being victimized.