Baby Ruby

I thought I was being cheeky when I found myself thinking, early on, that the first impression this was making was as a public service announcement advising against pregnancy and child-rearing. The thing is, even with some wonderfully enticing, unnerving moments bringing pointed psychological horror to bear, as the length advances it increasingly comes across that this was a rather accurate impression after all. At bare minimum filmmaker Bess Wohl has in part latched onto the unacknowledged truth that some new mothers resent or even hate their children, countermanding the cultural expectation or demand that childbirth be upheld as "joyous," and a "miracle" - but then again, there are also straightforward horror-thriller vibes on hand, and major notes of post-partum depression, and ultimately also the amplification for genre thrills of the acute fears of new parents. But wait, those are five distinct ideas that 'Baby Ruby' is trying to encapsulate. There are also select moments that almost inspire laughter, coming across as fresh cut brass from a parallel horror-comedy. Just what was it that this wanted to be? All told, I can only firmly stand by that first impression.

I adore Noémie Merlant, and she's been terrific in anything of hers that I've watched; even if a picture falters in other regards, one can in the very least trust Merlant to give a fantastic performance, and quite anchor and elevate the whole just by being a part of it. This is no less true here; I admit bias since I'm already a fan, and she was the reason I sat to watch in the first place, but I think the actor is the chief consistent strength of these ninety minutes. The rest of the cast is great too, of course, and in all other ways this is splendidly well made in terms of stunts, effects, filming locations, art direction, hair, makeup, cinematography, editing, and so on. In what is apparently her directorial debut, I also think Wohl illustrates fine skills in orchestrating shots and scenes. Only: what tone is she trying to strike here? What exactly is it that she was driving at with her screenplay, and what should we as viewers be taking away from it? The one definitive guiding ethos of the narrative is "parenting is hard," and I appreciate the notion of twisting this into a horror flick. As the conception here tries to stir various odds and ends together, however, it comes off not as multifaceted but as unfocused, which again returns us to my takeaway - that the audience is being warned against considering procreation, or even adoption.

Maybe 'Baby Ruby' would be more meaningful if I had any slight inclination toward being a mother. Maybe I'm being overly critical, and cynical, and the mix of ingredients is just right in capturing for horror ends the apprehension of being a new parent. I think there are superb ideas in here. I just also think there are too many ideas, and the result becomes jumbled. If Wohl as writer had concentrated more discretely on just one or two thoughts - or maybe more to the point, dispensed with one or two thoughts - then I think the feature would be more strongly centered, and it would be more effective and impactful in turn. I honestly don't dislike this, and I want to hold it in higher esteem than I do; the sum total simply doesn't do much for me when fine acting and craftsmanship is weighed against a screenplay that feels kind of cluttered and subsequently diluted. I'm glad for those who get more out of 'Baby Ruby' than I do, and I look forward to seeing more from Wohl in the future. And hey, if nothing else, mission accomplished: I've been decisively convinced to never become a parent.

I thought this sounded like an interesting concept, social media has baby and things go wrong is what I got from the synopsis.

The film kind of went how I expected but lacked or even included too many things for it to be a good film.

It lacked meat on the bones of the overall storytelling from her backstory to her life in general. It included too many different characters and themes without managing to nail any of them.

It has a fairly dark dreary look which can add to the tone of a film and its not something I dislike but its done in a fairly weak manner that it never really hits you with any impact.

When the focus here is on the lead actress you really need a great lead and Noémie Merlant never pulls it off. The melancholic feels are all there but everything else is just placid. The rest of the cast ( including Kit Harrington ) are bit players and often overlooked or put in a corner once their purpose has been served. Many of which serve little purpose that really get to you in an unnerving way as intended.

You could remove a few characters and give others more to do and Im sure the impact would have been greater. I don't know an awful lot about Post Natal Depression so its difficult to comment on the realism in how it was used. Overall though it ended up being a bit disjointed and withering to a pretty anticlimactic ending.

There are flickers of horror and an ever omnipresent haunting flow to the film but little else.

5/10.

If you're looking for narrative, cohesion, plot structure, etc. Look elsewhere. Also, if you have had major mental health issues, or breakdowns this is your trigger warning.

The movie reminds me of a long, confusing nightmare. In dreams there are rarely beginnings, middles or ends. This movie explores the mental challenges of having a child. I'm not a parent, but everyone's experience is different and has its own challenges. In this film, the baby crying (it starts quickly in the plot so it's not a spoiler) is, at least to me where the breakdown starts.

Overall it's like watching a nightmare. Part horror, part character study, part surrealist, but overall it doesn't really come together. Some parts are interesting overall it's not a pleasurable film going experience.

If you're about to have a child or thinking of it I would not watch this movie. 5/10.

This film almost slipped underneath my radar. It isn't classified as a horror flick but it really is horror. At least the horror metatag should be added to it. I would avoid the trailer if you can because, umm, the trailer just gives the story away and ruins it like they often do.

What brought me to try it were some of the cast members in it. Most notably is Kit Harington from Game of Thrones fame when he played Jon Snow. I like Jayne Atkinson's style too.

If you haven't seen the trailer which I recommend you don't. The tension in the story crescendo as the online influencer, Jo, spirals down into madness caused by postpartum depression. We see her anxiety about motherhood and the baby. We experience her paranoia and her unbalance mental health. This isn't a jump scare flick, but a slow burn film, just like I want them. Some of the freight scenes I have not seen in other horror films that genuine shook me. Not easy to do since I watch hundreds of horror films. It has a Stephen King vibe to it when the group of mothers in the small town in Upstate New York. This is more geared to the older adult child bearing demographics. I doubt teens and younger adults will find it interesting.

That unending, incessant baby crying throughout the film was tortuous, but not as painful as sitting through ninety minutes of this movie.

I had checked the IMDB ratings and originally, they were in the mid 7s but now they have sunk to the mid 5s. Rightfully so!

The plot really never got off the ground although the tease of some potential was always around the corner.

It did touch on the very real and serious subject of post partum depression but only used it as an excuse for the underdeveloped storyline.

This was a feeble attempt at recreating a "Rosemary's Babyish" thriller, but fails miserably.