Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“My dad… is a strong man. Best gangster in the city”
The short animated film ‘Dare to be Fabulous‘ starts off with a youthful narrator’s voice beaming with pride as he describes his gangster dad and how “he is the man I wanna be.”
Directed by João Buosi, Yangjia Chen, and Carla Sampaio Da Silva, the six-minute-long retro animated film follows Alessandro who teams up with a friend to rob a popular bar to impress his dad. Alessandro, however, isn’t prepared to see his idol’s new avatar as Lady Victoria, a fabulous drag queen.
‘Dare to be Fabulous’ is a genre-bending little animated film that mixes the dark world of crime and gangsters with the colorful, glossy lives of drag queens and music. It delivers tension, family drama, and a twisty, powerful climax. Alessandro is forced to redefine what it means to be “strong” and “powerful” – terms that don’t have to be synonymous with traditional definitions of a “man.”
The animation for ‘Dare to be Fabulous’ looks slightly old-school, like pen sketches brought to life, using warm tones that complement the themes and tone of the story. Alessandro’s dad as Lady Victoria stands out in stunning hues of red, with sprinklings of gold and silver. When the father and son are confronted with this new side of the gangster, the moment of truth is far too overwhelming for Alessandro, but in a flash, he is forced to realize what truly matters.
Overall, the little film about identity, family, and gender norms is quite fabulous.
Watch Dare to be Fabulous on YouTube. It’s also embedded below.
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