MovieChat Forums > Ruby Sparks (2012) Discussion > Was anyone else uncomfortable...

Was anyone else uncomfortable...


Obviously spoilers ahead


It's late and I tend to ramble a bit but I just finished watching this and...


Towards the end, did anyone else cringe during the scene where Calvin was forcing Ruby to do everything he types? To go as far as to get her to get down on all fours and act like a dog...He showed her that he had the ultimate power over her.

What was going through her mind during this ordeal? Calvin did not type "Ruby started to snap her fingers, not realizing Calvin forced her to do so" or "Ruby had the mind of a dog and was unaware of what Calvin was making her do".
She was fully aware of what was going on and was powerless to prevent it from happening.

Was this an act of rape? Worse?



reply

Yeah, it was horrible, I could barely keep my eyes on the screen.

But he'd done it before without her knowing about it "Ruby is happy. Ruby is sad. Ruby speaks french."

Once he figured out that he controlled her when he wrote about her, he shouldn't have touched the stupid typewriter.
I cringed the first time he did it, when he made her miss him. The scene where she finds out about it all just kind of cemented the fact that Calvin is an immoral selfish *beep* for me at least. I don't think he deserved a second chance, especially given the fact that Ruby has amnesia or whatever was happening in that last scene..she didn't even get to consciously forgive him! He never redeemed himself in my eyes, he wrote the book, big deal, he got money off of her traumatic experience. I liked Ruby, I was kind of hoping that she'd change him before he changed her, but in the end, he "changed" himself. After subjecting Ruby to the humiliating monkey-type-monkey-do thing, she leaves. /After/ he humiliates her, /after/ she leaves, he finally thinks "oops! I shouldn't have done that!" Just not good enough.

reply

You could definitely perceive it as an act of rape. Calvin was forcing her to do whatever he wrote down while tears are streaming down her cheeks, proving her could make her do whatever he wanted. The look on his face when he hammered on the desk while Ruby yelled "You're a genius" again and again was practically orgasmic.

It was a very difficult scene.

reply

I didn't see it as orgasmic at all. Quite the opposite; instead, he was in torment. He always hated being called a genius, and having her call him that repeatedly was him actually mocking himself through her -- through his own "work." He created this person, but he felt like the opposite of a genius, so he made his own creation mock him. His face was in torment as the commands continued, and he was crying too. Pounding on the desk was rage and frustration.

He said early on that girls only wanted an image of him, and she was only an image he thought he wanted. His ex-girlfriend said that too -- that he only wanted an image. He finally realized it, and the cruel controlling actions were disgust with himself. Except, he also finally realized that she since she was now "real," she needed to be more than his creation, so he released her. Meeting her at the end is now a chance to know a real person, not an image he could control (as he *tried* to do with his ex).

It was a very rough scene, and cruel, but he wasn't controlling her for the sake of power. I saw self-hate there as he woke up from his illusions.

reply

It was a poignant scene (unintentionally funny at the same time). It showed his torment and exasperation.


"When I'm good, I'm GOOD. When I'm bad, I'm BETTER."

reply

Exactly! The point of the movie is bringing Calvin eventually to self-awareness, and to the understanding that he's been the problem in his past relationships, not other people. This horrible scene - which really was unbearable to watch, and supposed to be - was the event that finally shocked him into realization. You're right, he's not enjoying manipulating Ruby, he's finally facing what he's been doing, and facing the qualities in himself that made it possible for him to act like a monster. He ultimately rejects it, and frees Ruby from his control.

The ex, as you say, is significant. It was always clear to the viewer where the problem lay. Calvin had an earlier girlfriend, one who was apparently devoted to him, but he tried to control her and keep her at a distance. The same even applied to his relationship with his mother, who clearly loves him but is pushed away because she doesn't fit into his preconceived idea of how a mother should be.

He can only be with the real Ruby after he's recognized the terrible flaw in himself. That makes this horrible scene necessary, because it's the catalyst for Calvin's redemption.


Tell me the truth. Are we still in the game?

reply

Yes! Calvin displays characteristics of an abusive partner in many parts of the film, though he doesn't realise it until the very end. His conversation with his ex girlfriend (who he'd called an evil slut before then) was extremely poignant and telling. He needed to face up to his demons and work on himself. I think that scene was him realising it. It was incredibly disturbing. If you haven't watched the film again yet I recommend you do, you will probably notice more warning signs about Calvin's state of mind the second time around. Great movie.

reply

Calvin is a genius. Therefore he is not the problem. Other people are.

---
Scientologists love Narnia, there's plenty of closet space.

reply

That does seem to sum up his attitude nicely. 😏

Tell me the truth. Are we still in the game?

reply

Which, of course, was the intention. The scene obviously worked!

TxMike
Make a choice, to take a chance, to make a difference.

reply

I found it very difficult to watch, both for the connotations and, in my opinion, for how awkwardly it was handled.

reply

This movie made me cry and have nightmares.

I see it as an act of rape yes. Mindrape anyway.
Extremely abusive and cruel.

reply

Yes it was horrible and demeaning and was meant to make you feel uncomfortable but I thought it actually saved the film from being just a cute n quirky Gen Y flick. It gave it some much needed darkness.





All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.

reply

As blatantly cruel and hard to stomach as the scene was, I would agree that it was crucial in cementing the film's truth. Calvin proved himself a deeply flawed individual throughout, but his final act of abuse toward Ruby was certainly the most honest.

I did have a bit of a bone to pick with ending initially; Ruby somehow appearing to have been re-booted as an entirely fresh entity and being deprived the ability to face her tormenter, but I suppose it could be viewed as merciful considering all that she had been through - as an obviously "real" woman.

While not an entirely original idea, I was quite impressed with Ms. Kazan's efforts both on camera and creatively. She appears to have genuine promise.

reply

Once she saw that he controlled her, I kept hoping that he'd ask her to dictate anything for him to type. She would have had an opportunity to get whatever outcome she liked.

I'm not sure what to make of the reboot ending. It seemed very close to the ending of Dark City.

reply

Yeah, I agree. Most of the movie ending was EXTREMELY unsettling and did not satisfy me as a reader. He rapes her. He makes money off her. Then he gets a second chance at doing that all over again? Without her knowing about it in the first place or forgiving him?

[i]"Kindness is Timeless." - Sergio Mendes ft. India.Arie

reply

I don't think the character of Ruby has to be taken litterally, it's juste a metaphore for lost inpiration, hence, when he meets her back at the end, she's the inspiration for a new novel, that's why she's new.
As far as the scene of the mindrape, you knew something like that would appear during the movie and I was desapointed on how it was handeled : It was violent and kind of pointless to my taste.

reply

I think the point of her showing up at the end is that Calvin now gets a second chance and redemption, and now has to legitimately work to make the relationship last…he definitely made a mistake that night where he kept making her do all of those awful things, but immediately realized it and set her free….that's why i don't think he will be able to do it this time around. Because he wrote that once she left the house, she would be free from his will

reply

I've never seen Dark City...but explain to me how he is supposed to have a relationship with a woman who looks exactly like someone he used to be with, but has no memory? What about his family and colleagues? How would he explain that all to them? So, unless he plans on coming clean with her as to avoid future complications...non-sensical ending. Which I understand is silly, because the whole movie is...but it's just false hope.

reply

I didn't suggest that he should have a relationship with her afterwards, for the reasons you list and most importantly because the relationship isn't starting with honesty and openness. I had the same problem with Dark City which is still one of my favorite movies. If he wants a relationship with Ruby then he needs to come completely clean as quickly as possible and not expect that it's going to work. It always bothers me when I feel something for a main character who keeps hiding something important from the object of their desire because the longer it's delayed the less likely they will get what they want.

reply

Exactly right. That scene is what makes the film great.

--------
Daily single-tweet movie reviews: https://twitter.com/SlackerInc

reply

[deleted]

Agreed. This made me lost my interest in Calvin. I liked him at the beginning but as the story kept going I couldn't stand him.

------
"I hate you, I hate us both"

reply

I agree, I finally had to turn it off and send the movie back to Netflix. Both my wife and I felt the same way. Sad because it started out very promising and its only one of about 4 films I have had to do this with over the years.

reply

You people are ridiculous. You are taking this far too seriously. And literally.

Ruby wasn't even real. She was a figment of Calvin's imagination, not an actual human being. What he did wasn't rape. If anything, it was masturbation.


"You didn't come into this life just to sit around on a dugout bench, did ya?" - Morris Buttermaker

reply

Exactly, if you call that "rape", then her whole existence was a huge act of rape.

reply

I enjoyed reading some of the great dialog here about this movie. To add my take.

Calvin was at the end of his rope. Nothing he wrote made her whole. He exposed

her to the truth of their predicament in most basal manner he could in which to

perhaps break her, or break her free from his command. Which is exactly what he did.


The entire endeavor was impressive. Zoe and particularly Paul gave such fine performances.

Zoe's script was great. I'm sure some others in this thread have worked on screenplays and know how difficult it is to create significant work (that's also marketable). I can't wait to see what she and (hopefully) Dano do next.

reply

I fully agree with drnossal (except with the word "ridiculous"; this is a somewhat subtle film IMO). I believe that Ruby is never real until possibly the very last scene. None of the events involving her happened, except in the manuscript. That includes his brother's belief, and the conversation with the ex-wife, where he says he doesn't understand her feelings but is actually admitting to himself in his fiction that he does. One sign that it's all imagined is how empty the apartment is after Ruby leaves. This is how empty Calvin's life is; he wrote all the quotidian details as well as Ruby. Making Ruby go through those torments at the end is an important step in Calvin's internal wrestling about acknowledging his personality flaws.

One piece of counter-evidence to consider is the brother's tone at the reading, when he says he can't imagine where Calvin's crazy novel ideas come from. He seems conspiratorial. But the words themselves prove nothing, and even this scene could be in Calvin's mind.

Whether Ruby is real in the final scene, I am not sure. Either she is, in which case this is still a magic-realist film, or she's not, indicating Calvin is hopelessly unable to come to grips with reality, and prefers to write and re-write the fantasy eternally. I like the lack of full and clear resolution.

One man's view.

reply

I pretty much see it the same way. Except the woman at the end I like to think of as being someone he saw before he wrote the story and that she was part of his inspiration.

One piece of counter-evidence to consider is the brother's tone at the reading, when he says he can't imagine where Calvin's crazy novel ideas come from. He seems conspiratorial. But the words themselves prove nothing, and even this scene could be in Calvin's mind.

I'm not a big fan of this film, but I definitely appreciate how things like that are circumstantial, leaving it open to our interpretation.



reply

So...he imagined being shocked that she was actually in his apartment? He imagined taking her to meet his family and friends, but didn't imagine things always going well? He imagined that to keep her from drifting away from her, he had to manipulate her with his typewriter, but then this caused her to become ridiculously clingy?

Why wouldn't he just imagine her all along as the cool, fun girlfriend and everything's copacetic?

--------
Daily single-tweet movie reviews: https://twitter.com/SlackerInc

reply

"You people are ridiculous. You are taking this far too seriously. And literally. "


Shhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

What's wrong with you??? Your going to wake up the sheeple!

Be quiet!

reply