Starring: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Chris Messina and Antonio Banderas.
Ruby
Sparks is the romantic comedy-drama situated around the life of a successful,
now struggling novelist. When struck with writers block, a girl from his dream
ignites his imagination and she soon comes to reality.
This
year I have watched many good but not great films. Ruby Sparks is just on the
verge of greatness. I went into this film knowing nothing and was pleasantly
surprised. The film as a whole ticked all the boxes, it was a unique
story-line, the filming and shot types were absolute, the cinematography was
simple yet compelling and the acting was actually very good.
The
story-line of an indie film rarely means much to me and I tend to be to drawn
to the aesthetics more however, when watching Ruby Sparks I was very captivated
by the plot. The film delves into many themes, some of which perhaps occurred
naturally such as abusive relationships. Something that stood out to me was the
way that Calvin (Paul Dano) could control Ruby (Zoe Kazan) with his writing, I
thought this was an amazing metaphor and even better symbolism. In some
relationships you can't physically see the way one person controls the other
and this film brings it to life, it's very hard hitting and truly shows how far
someone can go into 'owning' somebody else. Other themes include love,
loneliness, depression, art, success and failure.
I
read a review where the author didn't connect with the film and was disturbed
throughout the entirety of it, I can fully understand this thought process.
Ruby Sparks definitely has a very misogynistic vibe and mind-set but I feel
like what you need to remember this isn't a film that is discussing feminism or
whatever else, this is a film that discusses writing and a man owning a women.
I too found myself very annoyed and disturbed at some of the narrative however
that is a realistic portrayal of men and their attitudes and it fits in
perfectly.
The
cinematography in this film was very simple and minimalistic and that is what
made it so aesthetically pleasing for me. Everything was kept very plain yet
with touches of deep and vibrant colours in a welcoming environment that seemed
almost familiar.
In each scene, the interiors and lighting paralleled the emotion
conveyed by the narrative and characters impeccably. Everything flowed so
perfectly and nothing seemed out of place, too much or too little.
The colours were very pastel and muted but the pops of colour that were involved worked extremely well and were very appealing. In addition to this the props made a great impact as it really completed and brought together the characters personality. One thing in particular is the use of a typewriter instead of a laptop in which Calvin uses; this really captures his whole aura and you really get to understand the kind of image he wants to express for himself.
The
acting in Ruby Sparks wasn't anything to brag about but there were some scenes
in particular that did stand out as well above par. There was a scene where
Ruby was being controlled by Calvin’s words and he made her chant 'you're a
genius' whilst jumping up and down hysterically, this scene was very powerful
and the emotions that the actors gave were outstanding and it really
encapsulated the whole theme of the film.
The
casting for this film wasn't something I thought too much about.
Paul
Dano, who plays the lead, however is fast becoming one of my favourite actors.
I first saw him in Being Flynn (where he also played a writer) and then after
googling him realised he was in so many films such as 12 Years of Slave and
Little Miss Sunshine. He really has a depth to his acting that I think is
finally coming to fruition. In this particular film, I feel that he played his
role very well and came across as exactly the type of person you would envision
if you read this in a book.
Chris Messina, has also shown his variety this year. Personally it's hard for me to see him in different and more serious roles after watching him on The Mindy Project, but once you realise him as an actor and not just a character, you really see his abilities. One scene that stood out to me was, when Harry (Chris Messina) is finally realising that Calvin actually produced a girl from his writing and the way that Harry reacts is applaudable.
All
in all, Ruby Sparks is definitely worth the watch. I feel like had the
story-line been more dramatized then it could have reached that 'great' status.
If you were a fan of '500 Days of Summer' then you will almost definitely like
or appreciate this film.
