Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara is a documentary published on Hulu on October 18, 2024. The film, directed by Erin Lee Carr, tells a rather dark and complicated story about identity theft and the emotional tribulation it inflicted upon Tegan and Sara Quin, the Canadian twins that became popular as a duo.
The documentary depicts how Tegan Quin became a victim of catfishing and specifically how one account created under the name ‘Fegan’ posed as her and pretended to be in contact with her fans. The account claimed to interact with fans on a basis of offering them a lot of things including personal talks which resulted in many fans believing they were actually talking to Tegan. It was detrimental as it not only constrained Tegan’s association with her fans but made her even more cynical towards people who were close to her, including friends and lovers .
Tegan talks in the film how she goes through feelings of being cheated on and feelings of vulnerability because of the nature of the engagements. The film also looks at the concept of parasocial relationships: fans who feel intimately connected to the celebrities where they focus on, and the darker side of fandoms. In addition to portraying the aftermath of the catfishing, it looks at the complexities of having a celebrity status and the weight of being under constant scrutiny in today’s online world.
According to some critics, although the documentary features an interesting plot, it fails to provide the emotional range required to articulate how these experiences affect the fans of the artists, as well as the artists themselves.