Baby Ruby (2022) Review – A Disjointed and Obnoxious Descent into Motherhood
Baby Ruby: Quick Verdict
The Verdict: A well-intentioned but fundamentally flawed exploration of maternal anxiety that drowns in its own repetitive execution. Baby Ruby starts with a promising, biting satire regarding the isolation of new mothers, but quickly devolves into a disjointed mess of psychological tropes. The film’s reliance on the “is it a dream?” mechanic becomes exhausting by the second act, and the constant soundtrack of an infant crying is more abrasive than atmospheric.
While Noémie Merlant offers a strong physical performance, she is often let down by a narrative that feels out of its depth. This 2 star effort fails to build genuine tension or scares, instead opting for a grey, dreary aesthetic that makes the experience a difficult watch in every sense. It is a movie with a vital message about postpartum struggles, yet the horror elements feel tacked on and poorly realised. Fans of Rosemary’s Baby will recognise the influences, but Baby Ruby lacks the nuance and structure to stand anywhere near that classic.
Details: Director: Bess Wohl | Cast: Noémie Merlant, Kit Harington, Jayne Atkinson | Runtime: 1h 33m | Release Date: 2022
Best for: Viewers who appreciate social commentary over traditional horror and those who can tolerate high-stress, repetitive audio design.
Worth noting: To simulate the sleep-deprived state of a new mother, the film uses a specific colour palette and sound mixing technique intended to make the viewer feel as disoriented as the protagonist.
Where to Watch: Hulu, Amazon🛒, Vudu
Rating: 2/5 Stars
(A disappointing maternal horror that prioritises repetitive shocks and obnoxious sound design over a coherent or frightening story.)
Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are taking a look at a fairly new release – Baby Ruby.
Highlights
Satirical and pretty amusing maternal horror
Baby Ruby focuses on the story of a social media influencer who becomes pregnant. Unprepared for life as a parent, Jo (Noémie Merlant) struggles immensely and begins to become seriously paranoid of the people around her when she realises that something is wrong with her baby.
“Baby Ruby opens as something of a satirical take on new parenthood. Jo is baffled at how well people seemingly handle motherhood while she cannot stop her child from crying.”
Baby Ruby opens as something of a satirical take on new parenthood. Jo is absolutely not ready to leave her prior life behind. She loves alcohol, she is a workaholic and she enjoys her life. Jo is baffled at how well people seemingly handle motherhood while she cannot stop her child from crying.
Jo’s newfound parental responsibilities have come with a realisation: nobody helps new mothers. In, what is, a stark contrast to the manner in which people dote on the expecting, new mothers face dealing with the baby, often, completely alone.
Other mums seem to have no problem. When she asks for advice, they tell her to “trust her instincts”. The problem is, Jo doesn’t think she has any parental instincts. She thinks the baby is angry at her. She is struggling to connect and terrified of anything happening to Ruby.
Extremely disjointed and confused
Jo leaves the hospital wearing a maternity sundress in a scene which immediately conjures up memories of Rosemary’s Baby. The similarities between Baby Ruby and the aforementioned horror classic don’t end there. This is a film that is attempting to channel that specific type of psychological horror.
The tongue-in-cheek observations and slight wit that mark the movie’s earlier stages pass quickly. This gives way to something far darker and something far closer to the realities of postpartum psychosis. The unfortunate reality of Baby Ruby, however, is one of unrealised potential.
Jo begins to experience strange events. Some are just a little bizarre, others are absolutely harrowing. Her mind fractures between a distinct need to protect her child from the people around her and a blunt lack of connection with said child. She feels as though the baby might be evil and the things she experiences only further that suspicion. It is all real, though? I’m not sure even the director knows that.
Unrealised potential and a messy narrative
When watching this movie, particularly towards the second half, there is a distinct feeling of a director out of their depth. Events take place in a manner that feels thoroughly disjointed. There is an almost random nature to what you see on screen and continuity issues exist throughout. The constant “is she or isn’t she” questions related to the things Jo is experiencing are tiring and, ultimately, lead to a feeling of “why should I care?”.
“Wohl attempts to discombobulate the viewer through the sound of constant crying, but it actually just frustrates and makes for a more difficult watch.”
The above issues wouldn’t be such a problem if the events were well executed and interesting. They simply aren’t. It has all been done before, only much better. Tension and atmosphere here are absolutely non-existent. Traditional horror movie scenes feel both poorly executed and lacking in actual reasons to care. It is overused horror trope followed by overused horror trope.
Wohl attempts to discombobulate the viewer through the sound of constant crying but it actually just frustrates and makes for a more difficult watch. This is a horror that borrows liberally from others and has few ideas. By the fourth “Was it a dream or was it reality?” scene you will likely be rolling your eyes. The sad thing is, there are another six to ten scenes like this to follow. It is horribly repetitive and gets old incredibly quickly.
Acting is a mixed bag
Acting is a bit of a mixed bag. Noémie Merlant, as Jo, is expected to carry the movie. She is really good for some of the movie’s runtime. As the situation becomes more severe, however, her performance weakens. The more melodramatic the movie becomes, the more she chews the scenery. Earlier scenes where she manages to deliver the movie’s biting satire perfectly can start to feel like a bit of a distant memory. They are replaced by unbelievable reactions and low-grade horror acting.
Kit Harington, as Jo’s husband Spencer, is okay. It’s one of those incredibly by-the-numbers performances. The role could have been played by any actor, there is so little nuance in it. I am sure Game of Thrones fans will enjoy seeing him, though. His accent does slip on a few occasions. I really disliked his tendency to speak in a strange, breathy, manner. Do people actually speak like that in real life? It sounded like he was doing the voiceover on an old Calvin Klein ad or something. He kind of looked a little bored throughout, as well.
I loved Jayne Atkinson as Spencer’s mum Doris; she was fantastic and added a ton of humour to the movie. Her comedic timing was spot on. She was also fantastic when tasked with being deadly serious. Meredith Hagner, as Shelly, was fine. She does a good job of portraying the picture perfect new mother and has a few comedic moments of note, as well.
Very gloomy and poor direction
Cinematography here is a bit of a weird issue for me. It’s not at all bad but it is so dreary that the movie is legitimately ugly to look at. I understand that this is, likely, to reflect Jo’s situation. But there is no use of brighter lighting or wider shots to highlight happier times. It’s all just very grey. The movie feels like it was filmed under a canopy of trees. This is particularly true of the movie’s final scenes.
Direction is a problem in Baby Ruby. The continuity of the movie feels incredibly messy. Scenes are presented as a dream before being retconned only to then be presented as a dream once more. It’s very strange. Scenes are just liberally spattered all over the picture.
“The shoe-horned in elements of horror are the start of Baby Ruby’s downfall. Some might enjoy its psychological horror leanings, but there are so many movies done so much better.”
The constant crying baby soundtrack is obnoxious. Whether you are a kid person or not, this will make your ears bleed. The combination of the crying baby with the dream-like sequences is deliberate; that’s obvious. It is supposed to make the viewer share in Jo’s feeling of confusion and tiredness. But it actually just frustrates and makes the movie a horribly difficult watch.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good
- Jayne Atkinson: Brings a fantastic blend of humour and gravitas to her role as the mother-in-law, providing much-needed personality to every scene she is in.
- Biting Satire: The film’s initial look at influencer culture and the sudden “disappearance” of support after birth is genuinely sharp and well-observed.
- Important Themes: Tackling postpartum psychosis is a brave and necessary task, even if the execution here is lacking.
The Bad
- Messy Narrative: The film is riddled with continuity issues and a random structure that makes it difficult to follow or care about Jo’s plight.
- Repetitive Gimmicks: The constant cycling between “reality” and “dreams” feels lazy and quickly loses its impact.
- Kit Harington: Delivers a remarkably flat and bored performance, made worse by an odd, breathy vocal delivery that sounds entirely unnatural.
The Ugly: The Audio Assault. The relentless sound of a baby screaming is intended to create unease but ultimately makes the film a physical chore to get through.
Should You Watch Baby Ruby?
No. It is a 2 star film that fails to live up to its potential. While it has an important story to tell about the reality of new parenthood, it loses its way in a sea of horror clichés and sloppy direction. If you want effective maternal horror, watch Huesera or Rosemary’s Baby instead. This one is better left in the nursery.
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