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Baby Ruby

2022

Bess Wohl

Noémie Merlant, Kit Harington, Meredith Hagner, Reed Birney ...

4.8

360

Drama. Thriller The tightly scripted world of a vlogger and influencer unravels as postpartum depression, a lack of support from those in her orbit, and her baby's apparent hostility all mount

	Media	Author	Review
		Robert Daniels IndieWire	"'Baby Ruby' is an audacious and riveting portrait of maternal life that’ll leave you wailing into the night.
		Wendy Ide Screendaily	"[]Wohl's] feature directorial debut is smartly scripted but perhaps lacks the visual impact to fully tap into Jo’s mounting terrors"
		Marya E. Gates The Playlist	"Merlant is extraordinary, finding just the right balance between psychosis, maternal fear for her newborn, and exhausted rage (...) the very final sequence neatly sells Wohl’s exploration of postpartum depression"
		Wes Greene Slant	"The film is so stubbornly yoked to Jo’s postpartum-addled mindset that it’s only a matter of time before its depiction of the fear and uncertainty of motherhood gives in to monotony (...) Rating: ★ (out of 4)"
		Valerie Complex Deadline	"This movie is exhausting in the best way possible"
		Guy Lodge Variety	"Tense, thoughtful, slightly unfulfilled debut feature from playwright Bess Wohl"
		Sarah Milner SlashFilm	"A tense, visceral psychological thriller that sets out to dismantle everything you think you know about being a mom."
		Sheila O'Malley rogerebert.com	"The constant frenzy becomes exhausting (...) Rating: ★½ (out of 4)"
		Meagan Navarro Bloody Disgusting	"Wohl and Merlant wield the horror effectively and create a compelling character in Jo to destigmatize an oft-underseen and rarely discussed mental illness (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Robert Abele Los Angeles Times	"In its empathy-driven terror and ghoulish wit, 'Baby Ruby' won't be for everyone, although it only ever feels steeped in the honesty of experience, which was partly Wohl's own"
		Karina Adelgaard Heaven of Horror	"Noémie Merlant is amazing in the lead role. To be fair though, the entire cast is brilliant – as is the simple plot (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Josh Bell CBR	"Wohl has noble intentions in raising awareness about postpartum depression and psychosis, but the result is closer to a feature-length pharmaceutical ad than a psychological thriller"
		Hattie Lindert AV Club	"A fervently uncomfortable and aesthetically compelling depiction of new motherhood, an unsettling horror exploration buoyed by strange imagery and a no-holds-barred lead performance"
		Natalia Winkelman The New York Times	"Retro visual flair, such as repeat cuts and mirror effects, add some aesthetic interest to Jo's spiraling. But 'Baby Ruby' hardly whimpers, let alone screams"
		Ann Hornaday The Washington Post	"'Baby Ruby' makes a valuable contribution to the emerging cinematic literature on the unspoken realities of women's lived experience —with style, disarming honesty, and a steady and intelligent hand (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		Rachel Labonte Screen Rant	"[It] shows plenty of initial promise, but its refusal to follow through on threads and its reliance on basic scares leaves it feeling hollow (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		Marshall Shaffer Decider	"The pieces are there for something good in 'Baby Ruby', but they don’t ever connect as satisfyingly as they should"

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