Ruby in Paradise

I've watched this film a dozen times at least. Victor Nunez has created a wonderful work of art, and Ashley Judd is an amazing actor. This movie has tremendous substance in so many ways, I'm mesmerized each time I see it. I would recommend this movie to anyone interested in substantive films.

I cannot begin to describe how amazing this movie is. Suffice it to say, anytime I'm depressed about how unfair or futile things seem, this is the movie I go rent to put me in the right frame of mind. The background music makes you realize the easiness of existence and how simplicity provides for the greatest happiness. The Indian girl that sings is but one example of a character in this film who does not try hard, and is happy as a result. Persifina, the laundry co-worker of Ruby's (Ashley Judd) is another=-her eyes and smile could make the hardest person's day. I watch this movie and I dream of better days to come or of a good conversation with friends, and I realize that being alone--Ruby is alone quite often--isn't the same as being lonely. Recommended for anyone who enjoys a thoughtful lull of a movie.

I remember 1993 as a year of great female performances. You had Angela Bassetts striking interpretation as Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do With It; Debra Winger as the dying American Joy Gresham in Shadowlands; Winona Ryder manipulative as May Welland in The Age of Innocence; and the silent power in Holly Hunters performance in The Piano. But as great as these performances were, no performance was better than Ashley Judds, Ruby Lee Gissing in Ruby In Paradise.

What a GREAT film.

There are scenes in this film that ring a sense of truth to what we say and act on, in human nature, as "real" people and not of what Hollywood synthesizes the fake emotions of what human nature should be like. Take for example in the scenes where Ruby trying to be employed and make an existence for herself; trying to work for living. If this was a big Hollywood studio film, her character would be receiving monthly support payments from God. Ashley Judd, and director Victor Nunez, do a great dance of allowing the character to make choices that are truthful and not false.

Other film recommendations on similar themes see Erick Zonka's Dreamlife of Angels.

If there are words that are up to the task of describing this movie, I don't know what they are. Victor Nunez's understanding of what it's like to be a young, single woman trying to carve out a life for herself totally blows the idea that men and women are from different worlds out of the water. Watching "Ruby in Paradise" is like tailing along behind this woman as she goes through life, experiencing the mundane and profound moments mixed together and trying to figure out which is which. Ruby is wonderfully strong, brave, kind, and imperfect, and just the kind of woman that I want to be.

Ruby in Paradise is a celebration of courage and self-discovery. Writer and director Victor Nunez tells the story of a newly independent young woman who travels to Panama City Beach searching for something of her own. Ashley Judd brings vibrant life to her role as Ruby, conveying complex emotions through the slightest expressions. The film is incredibly true to life, the slow build-up of her conflicts, and especially the reflective, methodical thinking done by Ruby. It's an incredible story of perseverance and a strongly detailed character study.