Beauty is More Than Skin Deep in HELTER SKELTER

"Desire is the Only Truth!" in Live Action Adaptation of the Award-Winning Manga Source: Asmik Ace Entertainment, Inc. Official Site: hs-movie.com (Japan) Translations: Elliot Gay

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details and images from an upcoming Japanese movie.

Actress Erika Sawajiri (ASHURA, SHINOBI) makes her return to the big screen after a 5 year hiatus with HELTER SKELTER (?????????, Heruta Sukeruta), opening in Japan on July 14, 2012. The movie is based on Kyoko Okazaki`s manga of the same -- first published by Shodensha in 2003 -- which took top honors from the 2004 Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize. Sawajiri plays Ririko, an icon who is the top star in the acting world. Her fame is so great it’s hard to look anywhere without seeing Ririko`s image plastered all over magazines, on television or in film. But Ririko has a secret that she can’t tell anybody; she’s had plastic surgery on nearly every part of her body. “The only things real are my eyes, nails, hair, ears and the stuff down there," she reminds herself. "Everything else is fake!” But, little did she know, that secret would eventually connect her to an incident that shocked the world... As the long-hidden secrets of the beauty clinic behind her cosmetic surgery begin to come to the surface, the after-effects her body modification begin to eat away at Ririko. Furthermore, the man she had intended to marry is revealed to be betrothed to another woman. This new model was born beautiful and threatens to steal the top spot from Ririko. Ririko finds herself in a dark place, threatened by the destruction of her own beauty and a fall from grace. What awaits her at the end of this journey, and who will get the last laugh? Director: Mika Ninagawa Original Creator: Kyoko Okazaki Writer: Arisa Kaneko Music: Kouji Ueno Theme Song: Ayumi Hamasaki “Evolution” (Avex Trax) Ending Theme: AA= “The Klock” (SPEEDSTAR RECORDS) Production: Film “Helter Skelter” Production Committee (WOWOW, Asmik Ace Entertainment Paruko, Happynet, Yahoo! JAPAN, Shodensha, Lucky Star) Film Production: Asmik Ace Entertainment, Cinebazaru Distribution: Asmik Ace Copyright: © 2012 film “Helter Skelter” Production Committee