A realistic and honest portrayal of a metaphysical story.
Ruby Sparks, the first feature film written by Zoe Kazan,
granddaughter of legendary film director Elia Kazan, is an entertaining and
thought provoking exploration of the slightly beyond belief story of what would
happen if you manifested a person into existence. It’s Weird Science but
philosophical. The film is directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, whose
previous effort Little Miss Sunshine, went on to garner four academy award
nominations including Best Film. It won two for Best Original Screenplay and
Best Supporting actor.
Calvin
is a 29 year-old writer living in Los Angeles. While still in high school he
wrote a novel, widely considered by the literary community as an American
classic. It was also a financial windfall, which has paid for his beautiful
Hollywood Hills home. Since then, his writing has been a little stagnant and
he’s not quite penned that second novel. It’s been ten years. As he struggles
with his own personal neuroses, like any good writer I’m assuming, he begins
having dreams of a girl his he calls Ruby Sparks. He becomes so fascinated with
her it spurs him to begin writing again. She will be his heroine. One day,
small signs begin to intrude into Calvin’s life that indicate Ruby Sparks, his
imagined character, may actually have come to life. This sends him into a
tailspin as he tries to cope with what he believes must be a psychotic snap. That
particular scene is telling of the entire film. It is played for laughs, but
written within the real context of how a sane man would respond to a possible
hallucination. There are no cheesy moments here, just an honest portrayal of how
this might occur. Ruby, for her part, believes she is living a normal life. To
her, she’s always existed and Calvin is her boyfriend. The movie then delves
deep into the psyche of a relationship conceived by one person that is decidedly
lopsided in his favor. It straddles the line between romantic comedy, heartfelt
drama and the possible “what if” scenarios of such an out there plot.
Calvin
is your typical manic, possibly depressive writer, but played with a charm and
innocence that makes him affable at all times. His flaws, most of which revolve
around his interactions with others, are powerful enough to make us want to see
him grow into a stronger version of himself. You will be on board, hook line
and sinker. Ruby (Kazan) is remarkable. She’s not a one trick pony fantasy girl
by any stretch of the imagination. She is honest, flawed, scared, and adorable
all rolled into one. Her story becomes the powerful backbone of the film when
the question is broached, “what happens when the fantasy relationship becomes
real”. Ruby becomes a real person regardless of her possibly being manifested
into existence. She has wants and needs, and since Calvin’s issues don’t
magically resolve themselves, tremendous conflict is born.
The
ending can be slightly odd and you’ll most definitely be in analysis mode for
10 minutes after the credits roll, but it does not detract from the story in
the least bit. I enjoyed tremendously the true to life telling of this
imaginative plot and think it’s sure to garner high praise.
Ruby Sparks is currently in theaters. (August 2012)
