Ruby Fruit

Ruby Fruit is a film that made me very thankful for the wonderful source of information that is the internet. I found this 1995 Japanese/Indonesian movie on a VHS rip uploaded to youtube. Something about that ugly, nasty analogue-to-digital quality of a VHS rip really reminds me to be thankful for the wonders of technology. Ruby Fruit is a pretty unique WLW film and I’m thrilled that I was able to watch it.

I love the plot of this film. It really stands out in WLW film canon. The film follows a woman named Maiko as she travels from Japan to Bali following the loss of her beloved husband. As soon as she arrives in Bali, a woman gives her a bracelet courtesy of a mysterious, powerful woman named Shirani. Maiko finds herself unable to stop thinking about the mysterious woman and tracks her down. Shirani as it turns out, is immortal and clearly has some magical powers. She’s also got a pre-existing harem of women. But Maiko is special. Shirani has a destiny tied into her immortality that Maiko’s a part of.

See what I mean about the plot of this one standing out? And to think I almost chose to watch the 9000th European coming of age lesbian film over this! WLW film still lacks in genre entries. We’ve got lots of comedy and drama but much fewer fantasy or sci-fi entries. It’s really refreshing to see a WLW story that deals with the supernatural and otherworldly forces. A big part of my enjoyment of the film is that simple novelty. This isn’t a story I’ve seen nearly as often. It’s strange and unique which also made it much less predictable.

Objectively, does the story drag a little? Yes. There’s potential for a pretty large amount of lore building Ruby Fruit could do but chooses not to. Hope you didn’t want explanations for any of these fantastical events. You won’t get it. You just gotta roll with the fact that Shirani is immortal, maybe because she ate the flesh of a mermaid and that her literal destiny is to seduce Maiko. It feels like there’s more shots of how beautiful Bali is than there is either universe or character building. Ruby Fruit does seem to be made in an indie budget so it’s understandable they couldn’t get too extreme with the fantasy elements. But it would’ve been free for the film to develop the characters a little more.

I can’t tell if Shirani is supposed to be a villain, a romantic lead or some complex space between the two. There’s a supernaturally coercive element to her and Maiko’s relationship. And Shirani doesn’t take well to Maiko putting up resistance to her seductions. For bonus predatory lesbian trope points, Shirani even has short hair. The predatory ones always do. Personally, I don’t get it. I’d LOVE to be the favourite lover of an immortal sorceress who has a harem of women. But I’m not sure if the film wants me to think that. Queer women probably isn’t the audience this film was made for. Too bad! That’s who’s watching it in 2023 and I think Shirani is a girlboss. Ruby Fruit really proves that the difference between a creepy villain and a romantic love interest is just a matter or personal perspective.

I’m not going to say how the Ruby Fruit ends but it’s weird as hell and more than I could’ve hoped for. Fitting that one of the more unique entries in the WLW film genre would have one of the all-time most unique endings. It certainly left me wanting more. This is a film with big ideas. I’ve no idea who the audience is for it, but I guess it’s me. And despite some issues with budget and pacing, I had a great time with Ruby Fruit if just for the novelty of its story.

Overall rating: 6/10

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