Baby Ruby (2022)
Baby Ruby (2022), which IMDB classifies as a horror movie, focuses on the very important subject of post-partum depression. It's also boring and honestly, not scary. Warning: SPOILERS.
Jo is a successful blogger, running a site called Love, Josephine where she shares her lifestyle tips, be it how to make the perfect soufflé or throw your own DIY baby shower because who else can do it better than you? She's adored by her employees and her readers to whom she personally replies in the comments section. However, Jo is also about to have her first baby with husband Spencer, whose mother, Doris, can be very intrusive. Even more intrusive? Baby Ruby, whom Jo starts to believe actively hates her.
Some movies can keep the audience guessing about the mental state of their leads - Baby Ruby isn't one of those movies. What's happening is pretty obvious from the start. When Jo starts to believe there's a conspiracy against her and later 'finds out' that the reason her new mum friends have such quiet babies is because they killed them, we kinda wanted that to be true. Yes, it would’ve been ridiculous, but at least it would’ve been entertaining. That she hallucinated most of it ends up undermining her conversation with Doris about how women aren't allowed to talk about the darker psychological aspects of motherhood. Did that even happen? Also, when you think about it, Jo is the only one who can't accept what she's going through, not Spencer, who's clearly worried about her. If the movie really wanted to make that point, it should’ve had the characters around her react differently. And while losing track of time may be typical for people suffering from depression, the time jump means the audience didn't get to see Jo's initial reaction to the changes in her life.
Opting for post-partum also ignored what was shown of pre-Ruby Jo - she's a perfectionist whose expectations would always crash against the messy reality of child birth and taking care of a baby. In fact, the movie pretty much ditches Jo's blog in favour of the non existing conspiracy. Considering how it wanted to talk about taboo pregnancy topics, ignoring that was an odd choice. A woman realizing she's not really capable of or truly interested in being a mother despite everything society has told her about it being her natural role seems to us an even more controversial statement. So, what's left? Basically just waiting to see how far Jo will go. And unlike The Offering, Baby Ruby isn't interested in unhappy endings. The resolution that saw Jo finally bond with Ruby and fully accept motherhood felt too easy, especially as Jo was clearly still hallucinating.
VERDICT
Baby Ruby isn't really a horror movie and it would be nice if some people didn't present it as such. But even as a drama, it has enough flaws that we wouldn't recommend it either way.