The director of Netflix’s Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, Skye Borgman, shares her insights on Kendra Licari, the mom who anonymously bullied her daughter online for a year. Read more about the documentary and the emotional interviews.
The Netflix documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish has captured the attention of millions since its release on August 29, with over 13.6 million views already, according to FilxPatrol. The gripping film delves into the story of Lauryn Licari, a teenager who, along with her boyfriend, faced relentless online harassment for a year from an unknown number. However, the shocking twist revealed by the FBI was that the person behind the abuse was none other than Lauryn’s own mother, Kendra Licari.
After tracing the IP addresses of the harassing messages, authorities uncovered that Kendra had used virtual private networks (VPNs) to conceal her identity, but she was ultimately arrested and charged with multiple counts of stalking and using a computer to commit a crime.
The documentary includes an intense five-hour interview with Kendra, offering a glimpse into her perspective on the situation. Director Skye Borgman recently spoke about her thoughts on Kendra’s involvement in the bullying and whether her statements were truthful.
Skye Borgman’s Thoughts on Kendra Licari’s Interview
Borgman emphasized that it was crucial for the documentary to feature Kendra’s side of the story, although she also acknowledged the importance of hearing from Lauryn and her boyfriend, who were directly affected by the abuse. In an interview with PEOPLE, Borgman explained: “I think it was important to me to get Kendra’s perspective out there, and it was more important to get the kids’ perspective out there.”
However, Borgman also admitted that it’s difficult to fully assess the truth of Kendra’s responses. “Weighing whether or not those things are true or not, I can’t really judge that 100 percent,” Borgman said.
During the lengthy interview, Kendra often repeated herself, and not all of her comments were included in the final version of the documentary. Borgman noted that only the most straightforward and clear answers made it into the final cut of the film, which she felt best captured the essence of Kendra’s perspective.
Did Kendra Understand Why She Did It?
Despite having ample opportunity to explain herself, Borgman doesn’t believe that Kendra fully understands the reasons behind her actions. Speaking on the You Can’t Make This Up podcast, Borgman shared: “I don’t know that she really knows why she did it.”
In the documentary, Kendra refers to a traumatic experience from her own past when she was around Lauryn’s age. She discusses an assault that deeply impacted her and, in her mind, it connected to her fears of seeing her daughter grow up. According to Kendra, the bullying was her way of keeping Lauryn close. Borgman elaborated: “[Kendra] does mention in the documentary an assault that happened [to her] when she was right around Lauryn’s age… she talks about how scary that was for her to see her only child, her little girl, growing up, and that’s what she really relates to.”
However, Borgman expresses doubt that Kendra fully grasps how these unresolved emotional issues may have led her to act out in such a harmful way.
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish continues to stream on Netflix, offering viewers an unsettling look at the dangers of online harassment and the unexpected connections that can surface when personal pain is left unchecked.
