Baby Ruby (2022) User Reviews

Challenging Film to Get Thru

[zack_gideon · 5/10 · 6 February 2023]

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.

Exploring Postpartum Issues with Horror and Melodrama

[FilmFanatic2023 · 5/10 · 6 February 2023]

A debut film from playwright Bess Wohl that focuses on a French lifestyle blogger named Jo, who experiences postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. After giving birth to her baby Ruby, Jo begins to feel that her newborn is hostile towards her and she is unable to shake the feeling. The film keeps a close first-person perspective, showing Jo's increasingly paranoid mindset through shock cuts and hallucinatory elements, leaving the audience to question what is real and what is not. The movie's intent is to address the struggles that many new mothers face, but the constant use of horror tropes like pot boiling on the stove and repetitive "did I just dream it or did it really happen" moments drain away the power from the underlying message.

The film's real bite comes from its cultural observation of entitled girl boss culture, the "pick me girl" turned new mom, and the private citizen acting like a celebrity/expert, but these elements are presented more as background noise rather than the main event. Ultimately, "Baby Ruby" falls short of fully exploring these important cultural issues and instead focuses on the horror and melodramatic elements of Jo's postpartum struggles.

A great lead, fine make, and terrific ideas butt up against a narrative that's cluttered and watered down

[I_Ailurophile · 4/10 · 28 November 2023]

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.

That baby crying..

[daker-94347 · 3/10 · 5 February 2023]

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.

A Painfully Clichéd and Boring

[andras-ocskay · 3/10 · 11 August 2023]

I have 3 friends who went through postpartum, but it is not like this for sure!

Kit Harington, is good in the film, but I feel so sad to see his talent is wasted here.

It had me hoping for an engaging cinematic journey, but alas, it turned out to be a tiresome ordeal. From the opening scenes to the final credits, the film is riddled with clichés that make it an excruciatingly boring watch. The abundance of clichés is comparable to the incessant cries of a baby - a baby that cries far too often.

In a blatant attempt to appear current and trendy, the film forcefully embraces 2023 trends, but the result is nothing short of lameness. The story itself is disappointingly straightforward, lacking depth and complexity. The screenplay's flatness and laziness reflect its poor writing quality, leaving the viewer yearning for substance that never materializes.

Regrettably, I found myself growing bored not once, not twice, but three times within the initial 30 minutes. This movie is the epitome of a drag - a truly agonizing experience that tests one's patience.

The actors' performances manage to salvage a fraction of the film's credibility, with the husband's character standing out as a natural portrayal that is acceptably decent. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the mother's character and the actress's performance. The dialogues and the questions she raises come across as insipid and lack authenticity, pulling the viewer further away from any emotional investment.

Even the inclusion of a seemingly fake granny character doesn't provide the relief one might hope for. The potential for better acting from this character is evident, making her underwhelming performance all the more disappointing. And don't even get me started on the portrayal of the mom club - it's so contrived that the discomfort is palpable, underscoring the film's overall lack of authenticity.

The film's sound and music add to the dreariness with their dullness, failing to even align with the scenes they accompany. It's as if the creators threw together a mishmash of elements without any regard for coherence.

In essence, it could have been salvaged as a concise 30-minute short film centered around a mother's fear of embracing motherhood and going thorough postpartum. Unfortunately, it falls significantly short of achieving even that modest goal. The regret of starting this cinematic endeavor has only grown as the credits roll. If there's one takeaway from this experience, it's that the potential of a story was wasted due to lackluster writing, forced trends, and an overall absence of genuine emotion.

It leaves me pondering the art of storytelling and the importance of true creativity in the world of cinema.

Psychological PND Film

[eve_dolluk · 5/10 · 6 February 2023]

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.

What nobody tells you...

[ophelia82006 · 7/10 · 7 June 2023]

Nobody tells you that all babies are not created equal. Some will literally suck the life out of you when you already don't have much life to give. A baby that incessantly cries is not the same as one that sleeps and smiles and coos.

That is what this movie is about. The underlying questioning of yourself and your abilities. The feeling that you are losing yourself, your sanity and that nothing is going to be the same again. That everyone else has it together while you are drowning.

This movie was so triggering because it captured every one of those feelings. It was hard to watch for these reasons, but also a brilliant idea for a horror film...

balancing the ratings now

[smoke0 · 5 February 2023]

I know this did not get great critic reviews and I imagine the majority of reviewers here will do the same because they all seem to be of one mind anyway...

I figured this would be the usual pseudo-deep indie bore-fest with long scenes of the protagonist staring into space along with carefully sculpted scenes of nature or an urban landscape, but surprisingly this was nothing like that.

There was a plot and a story to follow, with wit and humor in the direction if not so much in the script, and I was never bored for a second. I also appreciated the few fantastical touches as they were necessary for the journey, ours and the protagonist's. And the baby was adorable, so there's that..

Overall, very well done, and well acted.

The incessant crying

[sebring-92628 · 3/10 · 19 November 2023]

Unless you're a new mother, I wouldn't waste your time on this movie. We kept skipping ahead to get past the constant crying of the baby. It becomes really, really annoying.

We didn't feel the story went anywhere, perhaps if you're a mother you can understand it and get more out of it. All the delusions of the mother reminded me of my mother who had Borderline Personality Disorder......and who eventually spent half her time in delusions.

It was a waste of time for us, and the ending where she splits into 2 people.....which was what? A metaphor type visual of her obvious postpartum depression. Not explained at all, and then it just....ended....

and that's why I don't want kids

[dontakeitpersonal · 7/10 · 5 March 2023]

Not heard of this movie, came across it by accident. For me it wasnt as bad. It kept me hesitant until near end, if she was right or just crazy. I didnt read anything before hand nor watched a trailer, thats what maybe kept in interesting for me. Now that ive seen it, its basically a story about postpartum psychosis and how it affects the mother who gets it. Honestly if this is it, i'm even more put off having a baby after seeing this. I didn't think that it would make for an interesting subject for a movie, but seeing it from the mom's perspective, I got carried away in her crazy. Some moments where confirming that there was a conspiracy and then it took another twist. Probably if we could have seen the other side, so from the other characters, how they saw her... would have even given a fuller ending, but the again... its alright how they decided to end this. Being a woman, I actually saw my friend in this as well. Not as far as hallucinating, but definitely lack of sleep and how it affects the mind and relationship with others.

Probably the worst movie I've seen in a while

[darkmomo-81831 · 2/10 · 4 June 2023]

And that's being generous. I picked this one up because it had all the makings of a great horror movie; pregnancy, babies, creepy stepford women, dark and heavy atmosphere. So, I was super excited to check this out....

It was terrible. Every bit of it was as bullcrap as the next. From a meandering plot that didn't know what it wanted to be, to a horrible odd ending, to trying to be too cool; this movie suffered from it all. I would have loved something more thought out and better executed because this was not it. Even at an hour and a half it started to drag with a bunch of questions and no answers. The whole thing was just ridiculous honestly.

classification should add horror

[Horror_Flick_Fanatic · 8/10 · 5 February 2023]

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.

Not sure why this received such bad reviews

[racheltaitoko · 7/10 · 7 February 2024]

It's not too bad, it dragged out a bit and yes the crying is annoying but it depicted a side of PPD that most people are not aware exists.

PPD isn't just feeling bad about yourself, not connecting with your child or feeling sad, it can lead to psychosis and this was a view through the mind of someone in denial that anything is wrong.

The ending is really odd and I didn't get. I would have liked to see a follow up months after she got home or something rather than her running through the forest passing her baby off to the good/bad her. I don't even know which side of her ended up taking the baby!

Other than that, I enjoyed it and it is worth a one time watch in my opinion.

Baby Ruby

[snoducky · 5/10 · 11 February 2024]

An eerie film.

This film is thought to watch to say the least. The constant crying of the baby and the horrible hallucinations of the mother are just to eerie and disturbing for my soul. I found the movie difficult to watch and it just made me feel uneasy which is good sometimes but I just felt a bit off after watching it. However the fact that the movie can make you feel so much so is an aspect that's hard to achieve. The film conveys how powerful and capable the human mind is, to such extent that it can eat at itself slowly chipping away at your sanity and control. It also shows how powerful the bond between mother and child truly is. Overall could've been a better.

Terrible movie, waste of time

[tmacosta-22318 · 1/10 · 25 June 2023]

There is no explanation of what is going on in this movie. Then it just ends. I don't know why movies just end, you have so many questions then poof credits start rolling.

There are moms walking babies, then it is assumed all of them did not have babies. Then she thought everyone wanted to kill her baby. She gets sent to the mental health facility. Then comes home mother in law and husband tells her baby is sleeping through the night, but then suprise, surprise the baby is up and crying. Then there are two moms like twins the baby is crying. Then the movie ends. I still have so many questions.

Waste of time

[MyPointOfView123 · 1/10 · 4 June 2023]

One hour and thirty three minutes later and I have absolutely no clue what the point of this movie was.

Complete nonsense and a total waste of time. The only point to the story was a new mom struggling with postpartum. There was zero horror, zero thrill, it was a total zero in my book.

I wish the international movie data base would allow a zero star rating because that's exactly what this movie was. The actors were good but the movie was a complete failure. Do yourself a favor and find something else to watch. I am still in disbelief that it has received as many stars as it has because this movie was terrible.

That baby crying is annoying

[ykjdh · 1/10 · 1 July 2023]

I gave it a shot but after a while of that crying baby I gave up. Somewhere in this was a sow burn about post pardum depression. Not to mention the lead actress was completely miscast. It's like they found a French model and asked her to play a serious French model. Like who really vogues during serious moments of implied child abuse??

Anyway the plot is basically about a mom who's newborn is driving her nuts to the point of hullicination. A no talent lead actress and annoying crying baby sound effect doesn't make for a good horror movie. Maybe a more convincing lead and developed plot with not so much crying and this could have worked. Instead this comes off as that twilight zone episode where the ventriloquist thought the dummy was mad at him and driving him nuts. Instead, it's a water head looking baby girl driving her non talented French model looking mom crazy. Why? This movie has no point.

Self-indulgent Chick Flick

[artantique-18717 · 7/10 · 4 June 2023]

That squanders a super-talented cast on what seems like a platform to raise awareness for postpartum psychosis. The characters lack the depth that connects them to such an emotionally charged, if not a completely misunderstood, subject. The movie never really leaned into or committed in any meaningful way to exploring the depth and darkness of psychosis, but rather defaulted to a Lifetime movie approach to delivering more of the same stereotypes explored superficially and diluted by insensitivity. Strong cast delivers despite the projects limitations, which is the only reason this movie is watchable.

No depth and nothing to learn here.

[Guanche48 · 2/10 · 13 April 2024]

I saw the movie in 2 phases, on different days... and I forward some parts with the remote control. I watched it in its entirety because of that little thing that happens sometimes in your head when you want to see what is going to happen in the end. Strange plot.

It's a shame not to have told a better and more realistic story about this couple, Jo and Spencer, the story wastes too much time on a subplot about other nonsense misteries, because most of the movie turns into a cliché of the "paranoid woman who is not believed," which is very common in horror, except that this isn't a horror movie. It's a very superficial exercise in motherhood fears. Spencer, just becomes a husband who reacts in stereotypical ways when his wife starts to have terrified reactions to strange things.

I found all the characters really uninteresting, only the mother in law gave me some chills. By the way, there are also too many repetitive and illogical moments, and there comes a time when you no longer know what is real and not. The baby constantly crying gets on your nerves, and that is precisely what they want in this story, to drive you crazy and to feel what they feel, but in a really very bad way, since it makes you stop watching the movie. Down the volume.

The ending is a real mess full of confusion without any conclusion in my opinion. Nothing to learn here.

I guess that maybe, and only maybe, mothers with problems after pregnancy will like it more????, if that is the case here, because I have reached my own conclusion, but that will have to be decided by those who want to see it.

Painful to watch, but impressive

[tonyleet-62708 · 6/10 · 8 March 2024]

Baby Ruby is the type of movie that can cause your good mood to nosedive into sadness, disgust, and discomfort.

It begins with with a young couple giving birth to their first child. Expectations for a happy life of three seems destined, but soon reality slaps them in the face. The new mother is distraught by the burden of their new baby girl. She is constantly bombarded with the child's crying and need for attention. Motherhood isn't what she expected. Soon she becomes delusional without the ability to distinguish fact from fiction...fantasy from reality. Her behavior becomes bizarre and alarming. Everyone around her is affected.

The film feels like a schizophrenic nightmare...like a bad mushroom trip.

However it's well acted and well done. It makes u feel just as the makers intended.

Monotonous real life horror

[aronharde · 4/10 · 12 December 2023]

Baby Ruby follows an influencer that after her pregnancy is dealing with motherhood and its problems. The movie dives heavily into the subject of Postpartum and what it can do to the human psyche.

While the acting is fine and the whole thematic made me think twice about having kids I have to say that sadly I was bored for most of the time of the movie. You have our main character spiraling down into madness, imagining scenarios that are not really happening and you have a crying baby for pretty much 93 minutes. This gives the movie a pretty monotonous feel and prevents it to draw in the viewer for the watching experience.

Another thing that could have improved the movie would have been a smart plot twist, but since the movie does not do that it ends up being forgettable. However if you have experienced a pregnancy or Postpartum you might enjoy this movie but for me it was a boring watch. [4,2/10]

Not really sure why it had a low rating!

[cscott2331 · 10/10 · 9 June 2023]

This movie. I mean dammmmm...THIS MOVIE! Okay so I didn't read any reviews, at all. I just noticed the low rating when I came to Leave my review and I was shocked! Any woman, and I mean any woman who has ever had a child has to relate to at least some small part of this. Albeit not everyone has postpartum and even if they do it's not necessarily as bad as hers. That being said this movie was magnificent! I mean absolutely amazing. I loved how her reflection or her shadow would break apart from her. I mean at least that's how I saw it. Like she is a woman who is splitting from herself. And she did an amazing job showing us what it is like for some women. She had it ALL together, was a perfectionist and a total type A control freak, she thought she could handle anything! Well, she couldn't and She quickly learned her baby was in control. Baby's needs come before our own, period. It's hard to eat or sleep or bathe because we're so busy tending to our babies and their needs. If that baby is colicky, oh man you do go insane. The crying alone is like lightening in our brains! A lot of women go through this. And it is so sad and so very true that we can't even talk about it, Not even to each other. The mental health crisis in this nation is just that, a crisis. And postpartum depression is life-changing for some women and their husbands and their children. Mothers in this state have killed their babies, children and themselves. This movie portrays this excellently. Maybe some people were expecting a horror movie and that's why they rated it so low maybe it should have been listed as a psychological thriller, either way it's an outstanding movie, women know this is legit horror when it's happening to you!

Sychotic, Intense, Horror thriller.....

[shaikhirshad-41223 · 7/10 · 25 December 2023]

Baby Ruby is a well made intense sychological thriller. Direction is very good in the film specially the screenplay where the post traumatic scenes showned or type of sychological behaviour is very disturbing to watch, and that's what keep you hooked through the film. You can also feel horror in this film because there are some moments when this movie suddenly becomes and evil eye type of thriller. Movie never stops or bored you if you well connected to the storyline or if you get the idea of what are you watching. Fast paced screenplay, intense bgm specially crying baby music is definitely horror. Yes it doesn't have anything new to give but still as I say if you get connected to the story then you won't be disappointed. Talking about the performance NOEMIE MERLANT what an amazing performance by her. She plays a sychotic lead in the film and carries the whole film from start to end as a movie doesn't have much characters to go or the script won't demand. Rest if the cast is good and suits the story. This film is not for everyone only who loves Sychotic thriller will enjoy the most......

Don't Let the Movie Get to You..

[halimjaffar · 4/10 · 1 February 2024]

I am not sure what the producer was trying to achieve with this movie but watching it make me feel stupid and angry. Maybe that's the emotions the director was trying to stir. This movie is maybe depicting 5% of parental experiences with babies. But sure not me.

At one point it cracked me up coz I felt so stupid and funny at the same time. But hey, to be fair, the mother was probably had some traumatic past experiences and just not equipped to handle the situations.

I have had a baby experience at one point and my Dr told me what baby does. So I have to not let the baby run the show. You are the adult. The baby is just a baby. This movie proved it can be the other way around.

Do you fantasize about killing babies?

[ivanko-12274 · 2/10 · 28 May 2023]

The acting was good but the entire plot was wack. 1st he is a butcher she is a blogger and ofc they live in a beautiful huge home 🙄 at the beginning there is a weird sexual moment where fully dressed he is ontop of his 9mo preg wife and its ew. She has the baby, the baby crys and crys and suddenly everyone is fantasizing about stabbing cooking and killing their babys, they say its what u cant openly discuss..we all love and hate our babies and want to kill them...wtf...then a month passes and eventually she goes to rehab for a while and alllll along this baby never ever ages ever cgi missed this but no baby growth, no kindness just a selfish movie about dead baby fantasies.