Sunday 8 September 2013

Ruby Sparks (2012 Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris)

Loner writer Paul Dano imagines dream girl Zoe Kazan (granddaughter of Elia, and writer of the film), who suddenly materialises in real life. Chris Messina, Annette Bening & Antonio Banderas are family, Steve Coogan a celebrity author and Elliott Gould the psychoanalyst (it's always nice to see him).

 

How the writer then manipulates his new girlfriend is of course the relationship study that the film's all about, and it becomes quite powerful. The dilemma the first-time scriptwriter leaves herself though is how to resolve this fantasy scenario, which she does in a kind of cliched way.


Nonetheless, an interesting follow up to the same directors' Little Miss Sunshine, and an intriguing tangent on the writing process itself. Satisfyingly dark photography from Matthew Libatique, who often works in the weird world of Darren Aaronofsky.

We watched it on a hotel television on which it was impossible to adjust the aspect ratio and it was centred in the middle of the screen. Accordingly, it was one of the smallest films we'd seen in a long time.

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