SYNOPSIS
Ruchiki is an ambitious short film examining the relationship of a young girl to her dreams, and the reality that lurks behind her fantasies. Through a whirlwind narrative—one which careens from Toronto to Tokyo, from a japanese music video to an arena concert—Ruchiki tells the story of a girl determined to pursue her dreams, even at the cost of her innocence.
15 year-old Rachel Moeltz is an awkward high-school freshman. Home is the gray expanse of Pickering, Ontario, but Rachel dreams of life on the other side of the planet. Obsessed with Japanese pop-culture, she spends her time fantasizing (and training for) a life like her idol, Ayumi Takanawa, Japan’s biggest pop-star.
Half a world away, Ayumi’s reality is very different than Rachel imagines it to be. Under the thumb of the ruthless record executive that guided her to stardom, Ayumi is at the mercy of his sexual appetites and relentless work ethic. Whereas Rachel yearns for a life of exoticism and adventure, Ayumi longs for the exact opposite.
Added to the mix is Banner Tutilo and his sadistic reality show, EAT IT!, a “Punk’d”-esque prankfest that preys on the innocent. Rachel, Ayumi and Banner come together at Ayumi’s concert in nearby Toronto, after Rachel receives a call that she has been selected for a back-stage meet-and-greet with Ayumi, and the inevitable collision of fantasy and reality is set in motion.
Utilizing an electric cast—including real-life Japanese pop-star Reni Mimura and sixteen year-old musician Rachel Trachtenburg—Ruchiki aims to explore a generation’s growing disconnect from reality, expose widespread abuse in Japanese pop culture, confront a cruel mass media, and otherwise set the world on fire. Arigato.
