WARNING: There are spoilers below for Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, which you can watch with a Netflix subscription.
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, one of the latest documentaries to drop on the Netflix schedule, is a wild ride. The way the documentary is presented kept me guessing the whole time as to who was actually sending the shocking texts, and I have to admit, I didn’t see the big reveal coming. The fact that it was Lauryn Licari's mother, Kendra, sending the awful and unrelenting messages was surprising, but that wasn’t the most shocking or confounding thing about the revelation.
Lauryn’s Reaction To The News Was Startling
When Lauryn learns from the police that they have identified her mother as the culprit, her reaction is not what I expected. As I watched, I kept thinking, “Why isn’t she saying anything, or just walking away to collect her thoughts?” I’m sure many people were having the same reaction during those scenes. Instead, Lauryn stays calm and even allows her mother, who has been anonymously terrifying her for years at that point, to hold her hand and hug her.
Lauryn continues to sit in silence after her father, Shawn, arrives home and more details emerge about Kendra’s repeated lying, not just about the texts, but about her employment and the family’s financial situation. It seemed so unnatural to me. My first thought was that Lauryn already knew it was her mother when the police revealed it. The more I thought about it, though, the more I think I understand.
Processing News Like That Is Hard At Any Age, Much Less As A Teenager
I wanted to be mad at Lauryn. “Tell her off!” I was saying in my head as I waited in vain for her to push her mother’s hand away. This is a mother who told her then-13 or 14-year-old daughter to “kill herself,” among all the other nasty texts. How is Lauryn’s reaction not one of immediate repulsion? I’m positive others felt the same way. Even in Lauryn’s interviews for the Netflix documentary, she seems to have a muted reaction that viewers probably find confusing and frustrating.
Lauryn even admits that she missed her mom when Kendra went to prison for stalking and harassing her own daughter. Lauryn explains that she wants to have a relationship with the woman who acted like a total monster for two years, ruining Lauryn’s relationship with her first boyfriend, Owen, and pretty much her whole high school life. The level of trauma is immense. How could anyone forgive their own parent for that?
I Think I Get It Now
As the end of the documentary played out, however, I started to gain a little more insight. Lauryn, a 16-year-old when she was first interviewed for the film, probably had no idea how to react, and so, in her own words, she was simply in shock in the moment. I think anyone would be, right? It’s impossible to be critical of someone who, at least until the moment she learned it was Kendra committing the crimes, clearly loved and respected her mother. I can’t imagine how I would feel in the moment, and for weeks, months, and even years after. The level of internal conflict would be incredible.
It’s easy to say, as an adult, and without any real emotional investment in the situation, that the choice is clear: get this toxic person out of your life immediately. Unknown Caller: The High School Catfish is a heartbreaking documentary on many levels (even if it's not really a "catfish" situation), so being frustrated with Lauryn is understandable, but we should all have sympathy for Lauryn as she navigates something that none of us truly understands from her point of view.
