Canadian twin sisters Tegan and Sara Quin are known by their music moniker Tegan and Sara, a pop duo that took indie music by storm in the early to mid-2000s. Their dedicated fans have traveled the globe to get a glimpse of the sisters as they’ve consistently performed to overwhelming crowds after releasing ten studio albums.
They were also once the victims of a catfishing scandal that posed harm to some of their fans and to Tegan and Sara’s privacy.
“Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara” is a fascinating documentary that made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Premiering Friday on Hulu, the film provides extensive background about the duo’s rise to fame and details the story of a hacker who catfished some of their fans and tried to take the singer-songwriters’ careers down. The movie is an investigative study into the fanaticism Tegan and Sara have experienced throughout the years while attempting to uncover the hacker’s true identity.
Much of this story first occurred in 2010, when the band’s music was in its heyday. But the victims of the scam are still plagued to this day by what was done to them. The sisters have often been the face of queer music, and many of their fans identify as LGBTQ+ women who see themselves in Tegan and Sara’s musical talents and lyrics. An unidentified person posed on early social media sites like LiveJournal as Tegan, hoping to dupe fans into believing that Tegan was reaching out to them on a romantic level.
A series of online romances, many sexual in nature, took place between fans and a fake Tegan (or “Fegan” as the film dictates), who used the information they received from fans and the real-life singer to create an alter ego that wasn’t seemingly connected to the pop duo in the slightest. Some close friends of Tegan’s were targeted in the process, which ultimately affected their relationship with the “Closer” singer and her famous sister. This catfishing became a form of harassment that, in many cases, permanently scarred those who were involved, including the musicians whose personal information, like copies of their passports, was exposed.
Aside from what might have initially begun as a way for this mysterious person to connect with Tegan and Sara’s fan community, the catfishing trend took a turn when the fake account started fabricating rumors about Tegan, which took on its own fame on social media. Tegan’s reputation was at stake, and the sisters knew they had to do something to prevent further damage to their careers and their fans’ lives.
Directed by Erin Lee Carr (“Stormy”), “Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara” seeks to discover who was at the center of the controversy that threatened Tegan and Sara Quin’s livelihoods and the fans who felt embarrassed to tell their stories. The identity of the unknown catfisher is the key to solving this mystery ten years in the making, though (spoiler alert!) the filmmakers and Tegan are not successful in uncovering the truth. What they do find is a bond amongst many of their fans who couldn’t bring themselves to listen to Tegan and Sara’s music, as it’s taken years for them to cope with balancing reality and online personas.
Ultimately, this documentary serves as a warning to those who believe the internet doesn’t hold darkness in its ever-expanding corners. Tegan and Sara, much like college football star Manti Te’o, are just the latest celebrities to pull down the curtain and admit that they have been the victim of catfishing in the social media age. But unlike Te’o, whose story was previously detailed in the Netflix documentary “Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist,” Tegan and Sara’s tale doesn’t have an ending wrapped in a bow outlining the catfisher’s true identity and motives.
“Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara” is an invasive and stark peek into the private lives of celebrities viewed through the lens of a creepy online quasi-stalker. The duo’s large LGBTQ+ following is always top of mind in a documentary that exposes truths and leaves Tegan, in particular, vulnerable to criticism. Secrets buried for over a decade are revealed to the public for the first time, taking the catfisher’s power away from them years after their scams started.
Tegan believes that Fegan is still out there perpetuating lies as an imposter on social media, harassing their fanbase. Though no one has physically been harmed through this ordeal, it’s important to note that the emotional toll on both the pop duo and their involved fans is immense.
“Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara” is a worthwhile watch for those interested in avoiding such drama as it takes a deep dive into the troubles that tortured the famous twins for years.
“Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara” premieres Friday, Oct. 18, on Hulu.