Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist
★ ★★★
As a college football fan, I completely remember the Manti Te’o scandal and thinking, "How in the world can someone be so dumb to fall for this social media ploy?" If Te'o's participation in this documentary was to convince you how and why he formed this "fake" relationship, I appreciate his bravery behind that decision because I now look at this story in a different light.
Even though I know how the media works more than others, I can still be susceptible to headlines and not think about the bigger story. It's fascinating to get both Manti Te'o's and Ronaiah 'Naya' Tuiasosopo's (the person behind the catfish) perspectives. They are for sure separate stories, but there is a commonality in their reflectivity. Although I still feel like there is more information that both hold back, they show extreme vulnerability. In a world where we have a better understanding of gender identity, Naya's actions are understandable, although not justifiable by any means. As a young, superstar athlete, I can also completely see how Te'o confined himself to a girlfriend he never met in person. Being famous can be lonely, so you lean in hard on those you trust.
I'm glad this documentary gives both sides to this fascinating story and it also has some interesting criticism about journalism and media as well. It's hard to see how something good could have come out of this mess, but somehow Te'o and Naya have seemed to come out of the other side.
