Red and Probably Feminist

Here's something for you 500 Days of Summer fans:

Let's say there's a writer who, despite the massive success of his debut novel, is experiencing a horrible case of writer's block. He visits his therapist, who gives him a writing assignment. Unfortunately, he is presented the same problem: he could write about anything, but what is "anything?"

So one night, his subconscious decides to put a woman in his dream, all too "real" for the likes of him and, to quote the script, "back-lit by the sunlight." He wakes up and, mesmerized and hormonal, he sits in front of his typewriter and writes about her. He names her Ruby and gives her red hair.

A few days later, however, at the peak of his lunacy and his "love for the character", Ruby materializes in his house.

You will have to watch Ruby Sparks to find out what happens next.

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What is exceptional about Ruby Sparks is that it is not isolated to the idea of wanting to convey a love story. Thank the heavens for sending us screenwriters who are tired of the usual boy-meets-girl-girl-eats-boy-figuratively formula; it has been reused so many times it is basically a retired prostitute. Ruby Sparks is definitely something new and I am ashamed to admit that I was not able to predict the next scenes while watching it.

The movie stars Paul Dano (who was in Little Miss Sunshine, also directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris) as the main character Calvin Weir-Fields and Zoe Kazan as the titular character Ruby Sparks. As if giving a commendable performance as Ruby was not enough, Kazan also wrote the film.

My best friend and I agreed on the film being the typical pseudo-artistic outlet for the modern-day hipster (were there even hipsters in the previous generations?). Our conversations consisted of assumptions like "This could have been shot in Instafilm, the movie counterpart of Instagram," and "This girl is too colorful."

Wait, where are the Aztec prints?!

Useless comments aside, halfway through watching I realized that while assuming the identity of a romance comedy-drama film, Ruby Sparks actually sends out this feminist vibe and might as well be a protest against patriarchy done in a very friendly medium. (Smart move, Kazan.) I used to think I was uber-feminist, but in my freshman year I studied gender issues and gathered that my passion for women's rights isn't strong enough to send me to jail (because most feminists are radical.)

The film also tackles the question: Is genuine love for a person real? Calvin gets a thumbs up from the universe when Ruby appears in his house, tangible and all, but that also pushes him to become the most horrible boyfriend. Upon comprehending the power he has in controlling Ruby's state of mind and actions, he becomes obsessed with perfecting her whole identity to suit his preferences. When she starts to think for herself and strays from his original idea of her, he is enraged, thinking that it will make her leave him. Ultimately this "love" we say we give to and take from each other might probably be just an illusion that stems from our need of company.


If you need a good distraction from Pablo, go watch Ruby Sparks. Every other scene has sunlight.