River

Ryuichi Hiroki : 2011

Hikari lost her boyfriend, Kenji, to a massacre that occurred in Akihabara a few years ago, something she has yet to come to terms with within her heart. Still suffering from the shock of her loss and unable to accept this reality, she has cut herself off from the outside world. Hikari eventually manages to muster the courage to visit Akihabara, the scene of the incident. Walking around as if she were searching for the shadow of Kenji, she encounters a variety of people instead. A female photographer, a scout for a maid café, and a girl just as young as Hikari who works at that café. Before long, she meets Yuji, a young man living in an underground tunnel who ran away from home after quarrelling with his parents and ended up in Tokyo. The film poignantly depicts the heartbroken young woman's gradual discovery of her own means of living through her encounters with those also suffering from the after-effects of the incident. Ryuichi Hiroki's feature premiered at Tokyo FILMeX 2011.