Rudy Sparks

Ruby Sparks (2012). Director: Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton

Ruby Sparks tells a story about a struggling young writer, Calvin, who discovers one day that he has the power to create this girl, Ruby, from his imagination and make her whatever he wants her to be simply by writing down his wishes down with paper and a typewriter. So Calvin creates Ruby, a girl tailored to his own projection of a soul mate, and starts a relationship with her. Just like every relationship, things are really good at first. Then problems arise. Calvin eventually succumbs to the temptation of “fixing” Ruby with his super power, but that only makes Ruby into a broken, if obedient, person. At last, Calvin feels ashamed if himself and decides to set Ruby free. 

I like this movie for similar reasons as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Besides a great script and wonderful acting, the story develops around a surreal premise which the movie uses to explore something about relationships. What Ruby Spark tries to explore, in my opinion, is insecurity, something that everyone must experience at some point of a relationship. Our insecurity has its root in the uncertainty of the other individual. It arises because no matter how well we know the other individual, we can’t get inside their heads and know what’s on their mind. And this makes us insecure. Ruby Sparks magnifies and highlights this issue of ours from the perspective of Calvin, a neurotic person with low self confidence. Every personal space that Calvin permits Ruby to have makes him jealous and insecure, so when Ruby, bored from a lack of her own life, has a taste of freedom and seems to start breaking away from him, Calvin decides to do something about it. What Calvin does here is a realization of something we might wish to but can never do, which is to only allow the other individual to live in one universe: ours. 

Is Calvin happy after he fixes Ruby? Ironically, no. The idea that this movie tries to get across is that an unhealthy controlling desire suffocates both parties. After fixing Ruby, her complete dependence makes Calvin feel very secure, but it doesn't take long before it becomes unbearable, for he now carries two lives on his shoulders. As a result, Calvin decides to change Ruby again, but this time things get really serious. The fight scene just before the finale is very intense and quite unpleasant to watch, but it nonetheless depicts the Calvin’s maturation. Calvin realizes that his insecurity and obsession toward Ruby has turned him into a monster, and that is even more unbearable than those negative emotions that he’s experienced. He decides not to let his insecurity nurture the monster within anymore and sets Ruby free with his typewriter. 

Although the message that Ruby Sparks tries to deliver might be a little unpleasant, on great thing about this movie is that it has lots of lighthearted and cheerful moments in it to balance the somewhat negative tones that Calvin emits. Great performance and chemistry between the two leading actors also makes Ruby Sparks a wonderful movie to watch. Among tons of movies that build themselves around relationships, Ruby Sparks is definitely a rare gem that not only blows us a breath of fresh air but also has the power to make us reflect upon ourselves.