How the TheRealReal Made an AI Mini-Epic

'The Last Real Man' doesn't fake it (much)

There’s a strange tension right now. We’ve never been better at creating things that look real, yet less certain of what actually is. We live in a world where “fake” dominates. Fake News. Fake Movies. Fake Actors. Fake fashion. Some disparage seemingly premium items as “superfakes.”

Against that backdrop, there’s a growing desire for something real.

“L’ultimo Uomo Reale” (“The Last Real Man”) started from this premise. Not from a desire to use AI because it’s new or efficient, but because it’s increasingly indistinguishable. When everything can look authentic, the more interesting question becomes: What is?

There is still one place built around answering that question: The RealReal, one of the most trusted names in authenticated luxury resale.

They combine human expertise with advanced technology, physically inspecting every item before it is sold. The RealReal is a company that still celebrates authenticity.

And so, “L’Ultimo Uomo Reale” was born–a short film about an AI character trying to convince us how he is, while he is increasingly dealing with ever more aggressive AI glitches. Finally, his entire faux-world collapses to reveal that the only real thing in this film was the ever-present leather bag.

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We worked with visionary director and master storyteller, Sebastian Strasser, and his production company, Lipstick, one of the first studios truly pushing boundaries and redefining what AI filmmaking can be. It was important that our film had a human lens and riveting story. The last thing we wanted to do was to create more low-quality AI slop. Instead, we strove to craft a tasteful film that pulled people in and made them believe our protagonist is real.

That meant approaching AI the way you would flesh-and-blood filmmaking. We carefully selected locations, wardrobe and styling. We homed in on the actor’s subtlest performances, lighting, camera movement and hundreds of creative decisions.

We spent a large amount of time creating our protagonist Vincent–a relatable, handsome affluent twenty-something French hipster, living his best life in New York City. He talks about reconnecting with his humanity. About wanting something real in a world that increasingly feels performative.

In other words, he is dealing with what so many people are dealing with right now, even up to the fear of AI.

His monologue was carefully written to sound less like a script and more like the way people actually speak when they’re trying to make sense of the moment they’re living in. Because if the audience didn’t believe in Vincent, the film wouldn’t work.

The one thing that stayed real

At the center of it all is a single, grounding truth—the bag is real.

Every scene originated from photographs of the physical bag, the same one used in the live-action green screen sequence. Those images were converted into digital assets, then extended and woven into the film using compositing, VFX, CGI and AI.

In the end, everything falls apart. The illusion. The world. The man. And we end in a peaceful, real traditional film setting with a crew filming the actual bag from The RealReal.

Maybe that’s why this story feels so relevant right now.

When anything can be made to look real, the real thing doesn’t just matter more.

It becomes the ultimate luxury.