Written and directed by Mariano Flores, an outcast Furry grapples with his purpose after falling for a girl with a secret. Starring: Carlos Navas, Abigail Arader, Patricio Ovando, Jada Saxton, Kristina Jewett and Zoe Siegel.
Adding a musical element is something that can be done in an unlimited number of styles, but is often unsuccessful so it’s always satisfying to see someone make it work and Mariano Flores does a great job. Flores taps into a tone of dissatisfaction with life, not fitting in and fed up of being expected to try, it’s very reminiscent of emo rock of the noughties, My Chemical Romance fans will get a kick out of it. That sort of under-stylised, blunt-ish, angry singing is surprisingly fun, it still hits those emotional notes but manages to do so without being saccharine or overtly sentimental.
Throwing in a few surprises is something that Tell Me It’s For Real is good at, Flores takes this story in an unexpected direction. He plays around with those ideas of niche interests in a fun way, how unusual predilections can sometimes be viewed by a biased society and others are just plain wrong. Making one of the characters a Furry was a bit of a swing, it doesn’t necessarily add a sympathetic edge when it is such a niche preference. Although Flores does a good job of adding it in much like it was a simple hobby, with the exception of how other people react to it.
Carlos Navas captures that classic shy, socially awkward yet quietly passionate persona. He’s paired excellently with Abigail Arader both musically and in their chemistry. They feel like two sides of the same coin, building a kinship, even if it is very impulsive. Jada Saxton is an excellent addition with a great amount of personality, she brings a strong presence and it’s only a shame we don’t get to see more of her character. Kristina Jewett and Patricio Ovando then both add in their own way a harshness and bullying presence.
Tell Me It’s For Real is unusual, entertaining and surprising. Mariano Flores had an imaginative concept and brought it to life with a lot of personality, and managing to make it work as a musical is definitely an achievement. It is however a touch too long, losing some of its bite and its choice of ending feels a bit to easy and illogical. There was also an opportunity to add in a bigger, dark sense of humour that goes unfulfilled. It never quite gets to grips with the darkness that its story has to offer but outside of those things, it’s enjoyably emo and unexpected.
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