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This documentary about one of the earliest known victims of catfishing struggles with objectivity.
On September 12, 2012, Manti Te’o, one of the most promising linebackers in American college football, came to national attention when his girlfriend Lennay and his grandmother died the same day. However, it was later revealed that his girlfriend never existed. Te’o had been the victim of catfishing via social networks. It was a story that gripped the United States and even overshadowed the shocking Lance Armstrong doping scandal.
The two-part documentary Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist dives deep into this story by interviewing Te’o at length, as well as his family and friends, and the reporters who exposed the scandal in 2013. But more importantly, they also speak to the person who scammed Te’o: Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, who has since come out as transgender and now goes by the first name Naya.
The first episode focuses entirely on how Te’o and Tuiasosopo met and stayed in touch online, as well as their views on the evolution of their relationship. As the interviews delve deeper into their past, it becomes unmistakably clear that Te’o is the victim of this situation. Tuiasosopo’s deception went so far as to impersonate relatives of the late Lennay and as such told Te’o’s family about the loss. It doesn’t do Tuiasosopo’s image any good, although she admits everything.
The second episode focuses on the people who exposed the deception: Deadspin sports blog writers Timothy Burke and Jack Dickey. It is suggested that Te’o may have co-orchestrated the story to gain media attention or that he may have been attracted to men and this was a way of covering it up. If so, then his plan has backfired. Te’o went from a media darling to one of America’s most ridiculed athletes, resulting in memes and even a skit in Saturday Night Live.
Despite the insightful interviews and the structured way the entire story is mapped out, the documentary falls short of answering several questions. It also attempts to evoke empathy for Tuiasosopo, which creates a distorted image as she went to great lengths to hide her true identity.
It’s annoying that the story of Tuiasosopo, who says she’s always felt like a woman on the inside and says she feels better than ever now that she identifies as a trans woman, be used as a means of evoking empathy. This ignores the fact that for some reason some form of identity theft has occurred.
It does not explain why Tuiasosopo was never charged with a crime, nor does it explain in detail how Te’o’s life and career ultimately unfolded. While the documentary provides insight into the true story and the questionable way the media has treated it, the method of making the viewer sympathize with Tuiasosopo is a poor attempt to stay neutral.
Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist can be seen at netflix.
