Unknown Number: The High School Catfish

I can not believe the twist in this...to push young teens to the point of suicide is egregious. This documentary is one of the few ones that netflix has put out this year that actually had a truly fascinating story. Worth the watch. Makes you want scream but it is very interesting. The excuses still don't make any sense though.

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.

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.

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.

I won't give anything away, but I'm disgusted by the perpetrator. Recently, my preteen approached me and made me read and listen to messages, which really shocked me. A "good" friend of hers was with another friend, and when they had a disagreement, both girls seriously threatened my daughter via WhatsApp. According to the messages, they were going to murder her with a group. WT*? Luckily, my daughter shared this with me right away. I've been in touch with both girls, and they were more than warned by me. Their parents reacted differently. One girl was grounded. The other girl's mother told me she thought I was exaggerating and that her daughter was crying too, so they felt sorry for her. Uh, what?! I feel terrible that a 12-year-old had to go through this. I'm now reading all her social media contacts, and she understands. Talk to your teens, protect them <3.