Portlandia’s Carrie Brownstein has written and directed a short film that takes our obsession with celebrities and social media to a very dark place. Titled The Realest Real, the short premiered at New York Fashion Week last night and features Laura Harrier, Natasha Lyonne, and Kim Gordon. Set in a dystopian future controlled by social media likes and comments and the “Institute of the Real and Really Real,” the short marks Brownstein’s directorial debut.
“For fans, keeping that element of fantasy and projection alive is really crucial. Even though you’re pulling out these words that are domestic signifiers like ‘Mom’ or ‘I love you’ or ‘marry me,’ it’s still about fantasy,” Brownstein told New York magazine on the project. “I just wanted to explore the idea that it would be taken to this literal, mundane conclusion, and how that would feel. It was kind of more from that place than a finger-wagging ‘Social media will be the death of us all.’”
