Unknown Number: The High School Catfish

Throwing stones here is useless. Nothing makes any sense outside of some form of extreme mental illness breaking the most sacred barriers of trust. It's that devastating. It is a very personal story that affected the most vulnerable children also tearing at least one family apart. There are waves of shock, disgust, anger, with few answers as to why in this case. Healing after devastation like this is the hard part which will forever be ongoing. That includes the perpetrator who is obviously mentally so bent, in an almost impossible way that's impossible to come back from without lifelong intense therapy and the miracle of God's Grace. I get some solace seeing the main victim, Lauren, is embracing that Grace.

This is a shocking story with a twist the viewer will never guess without prior knowledge of this insidious stalking crime. A truly bizarre crime story that will leave the viewer puzzled seeking more answers how anything like this can be reality. A good overview told in logical sequence yet frustrating for what we don't know and can't understand.

Teenager Lauryn Licari and her boyfriend Owen McKenny are high school sweethearts until a series of vile, spiteful text messages bombard the pair, causing them to split. Suspicion falls on everyone, but the investigation takes years to discover the person behind it.

It's a shocker; it's a case I followed and was aware of, so the result, although shocking, didn't surprise me as I already knew. What I wasn't aware of was the justification for the abuse. It was interesting to learn why the perpetrator did what they did. The only issue is that I'm not sure I believe it; lying came so easily for them.

Personally, I think the mental health tag is now at a point where it's being abused to some degree, I think we all have human quirks and oddities, but in this instance, the person is seriously suffering-an act of malice that's unforgivable, how could you even begin to justify it.

It's a very well put together documentary. I loved how it was presented; you really were made to wait to find out who. I came away really impressed by Khloe; what a measured and intelligent girl, so positive considering what happened to her.

8/10.

Unknown Number unfolds with a pacing that feels carefully measured: each revelation arrives at just the right time, keeping the audience engaged without slipping into sensationalism or dragging its feet. The story's structure is one of the documentary's strongest achievements, sustaining tension while steadily deepening the mystery.

Yet the film stumbles in key areas. Most notably, it gives the perpetrator far too much space, allowing their voice to dominate without sufficient critical framing. This imbalance is compounded by the absence of a deeper psychological perspective, which could have provided crucial context for understanding the behavior and its broader implications. Instead, viewers are left with raw testimony that at times feels more like a platform than an examination.

By downplaying analysis in favor of dramatic storytelling, Unknown Number risks prioritizing shock value over insight. While it succeeds in keeping audiences hooked, its reluctance to interrogate the subject matter leaves the narrative feeling incomplete.

The result is a documentary that is compelling in rhythm and atmosphere, but ultimately weaker in responsibility and depth. Above all, it is difficult not to feel deep sympathy for all those affected by the events, people whose experiences deserved a more thoughtful and nuanced exploration than the film delivers.

This film started off great. The delivery with the cinematography and graphics keeps you wanting more and awake. Then about midway through the film, after a lot of buildup, the viewer gets sick of waiting for a conclusion. Once the cat is out of the bag there is way too much emphasis on the emotions of the abuser, not the victim. The abuser is not at all looked at in any depth. Instead, they get to say their piece repeatedly while everyone else in the film is sidestepped. Considering what a horrible person the abuser is, they got way too much sympathy from the director. It made me sick. I ended up not liking the movie about 80 percent of the way through. There was way too much emphasis on giving the psychopath a break. In the end, I still give it a 6.7. Almost an average film.

The twist at the end was quite something. The person concerned should never be allowed near another in her lifetime, so wicked and evil are their deeds.

The only problem I had was the 'first messages'. We all know who started this and yet the law and the documentary makers let her slide off the hook when it could have been proven beyond all doubt.

Well worth a watch though.