Three teenage American girls transform into ass-kicking anime superheroes to fight off the evil Fabuloso Doom as they journey into womanhood. If you think that sounds crazy, you are one hundred percent correct as Director Brian Lonano brings us a wacky mixture of over the top Japanese anime culture and sex education in the short film BFF Girls.
From the outset, with its colourful visuals and popping transitions, this 14-minute assault on the senses feels just like an anime whilst also being live action. The camaraderie between our three protagonists is realised straight away, as soon after Rose (Allison Maier) asks her friends if they ever “bleed down there”, the girls, Lily and Violet (Jessica Shipp and Sydney Allison Thomas respectively), jump to the aid of their friend as she takes a huge step into womanhood. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have our antagonist, the sick and twisted Fabuloso Doom (Lawrence Sykkmon) who wants to harvest the girls’ blood in order to stay young and beautiful forever (this is the most messed up Disney villain reject in history).
The insanity does not stop there, as when the girls come face to face with their adversary and the physical embodiment of a period known as “Anti-Flow”, the group transform into their Japanese counterparts to fight in the name of Beauty, Fantasy and Flowers and engage in a bizarre but hilariously entertaining and awkward battle scene with a creature made entirely of tampons.
Even with its short runtime, BFF Girls manages to establish its zany cast of characters, deliver strong laughs and also leave the audience wanting to see more of the crazy adventures that this world could offer. Think Sailor Moon on acid. A strange, bewildering but highly entertaining quarter of an hour.
BFF GIRLS / CERT: UNRATED / DIRECTOR: BRIAN LONANO / SCREENPLAY: VICTORIA COOK, BRIAN LONANO / STARRING: DANA SNYDER, LAURENCE R. HARVEY, MICHAEL ST. MICHAELS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
