From Omeleto.
A man runs an errand.
RACA is used with permission from Drew Saplin. Learn more at https://thedirectlinellc.com.
Nacho is a socially inept, katana-wielding weirdo who lives in a small Texas town. On the 4th of July, he tries to hang out with his "best friends," but his friends — who don’t think of Nacho with quite the same affection — send him on a quest to find ice in time for the fireworks show later.
Nacho’s search for ice proves surprisingly difficult, since there’s also a popular fight of local real estate agents going on at the same time. As he makes his way across town, he is also confronted with how much of an outsider he is — a realization that brings out his deepest insecurities.
Directed and written by Drew Saplin, this quirky, warm-hearted short comedy tells a quintessential story of an eccentric outsider searching for belonging in an equally eccentric town, not unlike the work of early Wes Anderson or Richard Linklater. Nacho is a deeply weird character, with niche interests and preoccupations and an awkward manner that is often oblivious to how other people see him. As he makes his way across town on an errand for friends who seem to want to be rid of him, he encounters his fellow town inhabitants, all of whom have their quirks and travails. He’s also stalked by a strange plastic-covered figure, one he must reckon with to find what he truly wants.
In tone and texture, the narrative is an easygoing ramble through oddball small-town Americana, captured in naturalistic, unadorned cinematography and steady, laidback pacing. Nacho is our de facto guide, but the storytelling is just as preoccupied with the people he encounters on his quest for ice and friendship. The detailed, entertainingly diverting dialogue hints that each fellow weirdo that Nacho meets has a story of their own, with their philosophy of life and perspective. But with each one, Nacho doesn’t quite connect, preoccupied as he is with his concerns.
Actor Armando Torres is fully committed to Nacho’s awkwardness and whimsicalities, but as he meets obstacle after obstacle, he becomes more stubborn about getting the ice — and the odd figure stalking him becomes more and more insistent. His search isn’t just for ice, but to please his friends. But when he finally accomplishes his goal, he realizes just how true his so-called friends are — and just what an outsider he is, even in a town full of oddballs.
The turning point of RACA hinges on this difficult realization, but it forces Nacho to love and accept himself, exactly as he is, and it forms the film’s central message. It also celebrates a unique notion of nation and country, one full of non-conformity and weirdness — a country dotted with communities full of eccentrics living side by side, coming together for the strangest yet most endearing reasons. It’s where we can all find our place and be who we are, and even be seen and appreciated for our strange quirks and differences.
