Ruby's Choice

A moving well-written film with great performances from the cast. The dialogue is smart with some of the most authentic Aussie characters I have seen on the screen. The touches of humour strike just the right tone.

It's attack of the mediocre Aussie film - but this one has the right intentions, a few nice songs and locations and but a great cast but that's unfortunately where it ends. This film has very poor storytelling and lackluster execution in directing. The film is an easy watch, but at the core its BASIC - it really doesn't evoke much heart, you feel sorry for Ruby at some moments but you DONT really feel her journey. The film suffers from many different problems, one being that it didn't have the correct structure, it didn't know which direction it was going in. The film played it very safe and didn't go all the way exploring dementia at its fullest. There are some strange scene jumps and strange awkward editing that leave you confused. There is a huge lack of music which could have helped drive the bad writing and also some very cringy moments - usually around teens doing things that are odd and unnatural. It suffers from repeating tropes from other films instead of trying to create its own originality. I mean you can see from the lack of love for the trailer and especially the amateurish poster that this was going to be a basic film, the poster says it all. Adding to that was the very basic cinematography, the lack of lighting correctly and over lighting most scenes was a shock especially when they somehow convinced Jane Seymour to appear in this film. There was nothing visually aesthetic about the look of the film and it looks like a student possibly color graded the film. I really wanted to like even love this film, but it didn't land at all, and I have seen the director's horror film - which they reference in the film as being a great film and that is a horrible film - which I will also review after giving it a second watch. Overall, a basic easy film to watch, shot nicely but basically, stellar acting by Jacquelline McKenzie and Jane Seymour and most of the cast. Misses the mark by a longshot because it doesn't pull on any emotions and it just didn't connect.

Ruby (Jane Seymour) lives alone and is struggling with dementia. Her husband died 5 years ago, but she keeps expecting him to come home. She hasn't kept up with the bills and she almost burns down the house. She is forced to move in with her daughter Sharon (Jacqueline McKenzie). Sharon's husband Doug (Stephen Hunter) fears for his job and their daughter Tash (Coco Jack Gillies) is frustrated to share her room with her grandmother. It doesn't help that her uncle and angry cousin Jack (Sam Rechner) have moved into the crowded home. At school, Jack either ignores Tash or downright bullies her.

This is effective family drama dealing with an aging elder. The actors are great led by veteran Jane Seymour doing some dementia acting. Sometimes, people do too much, but she does fine. If I would make one change, I would eliminate the Pirates from the story. There is just a little too much stuff in the two hours long movie. The climatic scene with the Pirates bullying kinda comes out of nowhere. That scene would work better with Jack's friends. Jack could come in later and deal with the situation. That seems more fitting.

Quietly humorous in its portrayal of a family trying to care for a mother & grandmother who has dementia. Honest, unflinching and sensitive portrayal of a family coming to terms with the changes a dementing illness causes, and the effects on the whole family. Showing the responses of the health system and available community services to a family in need was brutal but accurate.

Jane Seymour was wonderful. The rest of the cast are all excellent and Tash the granddaughter (Coco Gillies) is an absolute delight.

Congratulations to all involved in the writing and making of this movie - beautifully done.

My Review - Ruby's Choice My Rating 7.5/10

I found this movie a very entertaining intelligent and refreshing insight into a many of the ordinary everyday problems that many Australian families are experiencing in the 21st Century even including a hilarious response from Ruby which I must remember next time I get one of those intrusive scam phone calls that try to tap in to our internet.

Primarily the topic of Ruby's increasing dementia and the effects on her life and her families life are at the core of this film but there are many more layers to it.

Ruby is so effectively and sensitively played by actress Jane Seymour who said she was channeling her own mother for the role and was reminded of her own mother's battle with Alzheimer's.

It's not a big budget blockbuster or a paced moving movie but it's honest to the core.

Jane Seymour who's movie and television career spans well over 50 years is also a skilled painter and jewellery designer .

In fact she painted all her own artwork in the movie Not only that she even provided her own wardrobe which features a red felt hat and red ruby feathered pendant which is symbolic to her of her own mother plus it's also from her own exclusive jewellery collection.

It's great to see an established award winning actress generously give equal screen time in a movie to shine a light on newer talent .

Coco Jack Gillies who plays Ruby's Granddaughter Tash has some of the best moments for me in this film and is an actress I haven't seen before but will watch out for . Natasha or Tash is reluctantly at first assigned to care for her much loved Grandmother and in doing so discovers a history that she was never aware of before .They make a great team and have fun even in adversity when it's obvious to Tash before anyone else that Ruby's grasp on reality is fading fast.

The rest of the ensemble cast that make up this family are excellent also Jacqueline McKenzie as Ruby's daughter who finds it difficult to admit that her mother is falling into dementia as well as Stephen Hunter as Doug her husband with a penchant for junk collecting.

The movie is about the ordinary everyday problems like dysfunctional relatives temporarily moving in , retrenchment, balancing a budget on a shrinking income plus emotional revelations that would be hard for any family to cope with but they do so with a spirit of acceptance and a sense of humour.

Director Michael Budd and writer Paul Mahoney have managed to tackle an often depressing subject that needs exposure with reality and dignity.

This family at the conclusion of the film all know each other in a better way and are all better off for having Ruby in their lives and for the choice that Ruby makes.

If any message can be taken from the story it is that the minds of elderly people with dementia may be severely handicapped by their illness but it mustn't diminish their life experience and their humanity It was encouraging to know that this film that was funded by the Glenn Family Foundation, will donate 50% of profits to the Dementia Foundation for Spark for Life, which aims to bring back the spark of life back into the lives of people with dementia through the Dementia Care International's innovative Model of Care.

Go and find out what Ruby's Choice was ? I think you'll enjoy it.