Ruby Sparks

If you've ever written a piece of fiction, even a short story, where you've created a character, this film is for you!  Think of the wonder of forming a person out of the written word:  in a sense, you give birth to a human being who becomes so real in your/our minds, that he/she seems to be real!

Isn't Emma real?  How about Jean Valjean?  Or Mme Bovary?  We actually SEE these characters.  They are real, in our minds.  So real, in fact, that we wonder if we might meet them in the street some day!

Ruby Sparks focuses on this wonder.  No spoiler, as usual, but the film centers on a writer who describes a character, Ruby, in his latest book.  Suddenly, the girl is in his dreams.   OK, no big suspension of disbelief so far.

Now imagine if the girl suddenly shows up in his kitchen!   She seems real enough.  But is she?

Cute idea.

The film takes us into a very deep realm.  To what extent do we, as humans, have the ability, or perhaps the right, to be promethean?  Can we truly "create" another person?  If so, do we have the right to control them?   Zola grappled with this concept.  He described forming characters who, once formed, became independent of the author and acted according to nature and nurture.  He tried to create personalities who moved about in the fictitious world of their own volition.

Is this possible?

The film abounds in humor, and it is lighthearted in spirit.  But do not for one second think you can see this flick and not ponder its very deep messages for a long time to come!

A MUST for an English teacher, Valerie!  A MUST for anyone who thinks creatively.

Grade:  A.    This one is a winner.