Tell Them You Love Me (trailer)

Dir. Nick August-Perna
(Documentary | English | US | 2023 | 103 min)
A riveting and nuanced true-crime story about communication, race, and sex that challenges our perceptions of disability and the nature of consent.

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ReelAbilities Film Festival is the largest festival in the U.S. dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories, and artistic expressions of people with disabilities. Founded in New York City in 2007, the festival presents international and award-winning films by and about people with disabilities in multiple locations throughout each hosting city. Post-screening discussions and other engaging programs bring together the community to explore, discuss, embrace, and celebrate the diversity of our shared human experience.

[SkinE-Vadee-Veechee]

So she cheated on her husband, betrayed her educational authority and made an already disabled man struggle with himself. This lady isnt just mentally disturbed she is full blown disgusting. I pray the mom and Derrick find peace for the remainder of their life in this sick World.

[t.w.]

What bothers me the most is how calm and matter-of-fact Anna is in reciting the events. It’s a sick attempt to normalize her behavior in the eyes of the listener. Her intermittent smiles and seemingly gentle nature are all a very skillful act. What a manipulative woman.

[NinjaZRosegurl]

She was in a professional relationship and breached ethics crossing over into a physical relationship. She should have lost her credentials never been allowed to work with differently able people again.

[zwlwqho]

She has convinced herself this was mutual. The way she treated his mother alerted his brother quickly. His brother was such an advocate for him that it is a shame this unscrupulous woman took advantage.

[rcai]

In the beginning I thought he could really communicate.
She was married, with kids. Narcissist schizophrenic, she was writing to herself. I wonder if she was a man abusing a disabled girl, he could’ve be in jail for life.

[Madenthewest]

One of the craziest things in this doc was when big brother and mom notices the red bruises on his back. He said that she was putting so much force on him! 🤯 Can you imagine what went on behind closed doors! The deviant things she did to him!

[Mayfloweralways]

I watched this and the person who was completely objective showed that Derrick could not even identify a spoon. I think she wanted to be a savior so much that she did actually believe he typed things, not her. So she actually fell in love with herself.

[orlandoloney]

The level of delusion is scary. After all these years, she's still delusional.

[AndreinaJ]

She's the definition of distorted reality. She is absolutely delusional .Even if he got better at communicating with the device, there was no way this was a real relationship. She needs to be locked up.

[NinjaZRosegurl]

This woman thought she was so much smarter than everyone else. On top of all that she never got his name right. He asked her to call him D-Man not D'Man there is a difference if she was actually listening to him and his family and not her own inner fantasies. Wow!

[amandamaree]

She said she’s fascinated by disability. It sounded like a fetish. As someone with a physical disability I learned people have specific fetishes for physical and intellectual disability like anything else.
Grosses me out but I met my husband before I became disabled so I never had to deal with it but most people don’t know it’s a thing.

[Cleverlady]

I feel bad for Derricks mother and brother. Derrick’s brother was exceptionally devoted to his brother and I could feel his pain coming thru the screen!!!

[coffeeeloverfree]

Please lock her up!!!! I am so upset that she’s not under the jail for doing what she did. I teach children and we must protect them from abuse!

[mrsbry]

This was insane! The fact she says he does one thing but he doesn’t do any of it where he spends most of his time, with his family and at school!

[davidrele]

I watched it, this woman is clearly very ill mentally possibly combined with some kind of dark personalty.

[awaiting]

IDK what is wrong with me but I watched a good 45 minutes of this like OMG she opened up his world she is amazing and then....

[mylesthered]

When she said he seduced me too it reminded me a lot of Mary Kay Letourneau who had a relationship with a 12 yr old when she was 34. Classic case of manipulation

[princesadedios]

That’s a sick woman. I am so glad Derrick has such a wonderful and amazing, loving mother and brother that care and advocate for him. Unfortunately that is not the case for many disabled persons. Anyone so innocent and vulnerable deserves our respect and care not to be abused and taken advantage of. That woman is a very sick individual. Still is apparently.

[kuselwa]

I couldn't finish it... I've seen some things but this one did a number on me. I'm speechless actually.

Wow!

[mak]

My Goodness, this documentary f*cked me up....