I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels a sense of ownership over a film that was made in their hometown. There are a few I like to mention from my area of Northwest Florida. 'Frogs' being a favorite and of course, and 'Vernon, Florida' is a small stretch of nothing separating the beach from the Alabama state line - invisible unless you know to look for it. But no film made locally affected me at a young age quite like 'Ruby in Paradise'.I saw it not long after it came out, there was a bit of a buzz since nothing ever happens in Panama City. I watched it with my Mom and we enjoyed pointing out every thing we recognized. I was a little too young to be thrilled by the sleepy portrayal empty young adult beach life, but it still meant something to me. A few years later director Victor Nunez would make 'Ulee's Gold', also filmed in the area about a family of a beekeepers, which just so happens to be my own family's line of work. It was praised among the elders.There was something about this Nunez guy that seemed to parallel my life. I watched 'Ruby in Paradise' again some time in the late 90's when I was coming of age and something clicked, I felt weirdly connected to Ruby and experienced a real physical pain watching her struggle to make ends meet in various dead end jobs and fumble through failing relationships. It seemed almost prophetic. By that time I was well aware that I wanted to be a filmmaker and with Victor Nunez being the film professor at FSU (a short two hour drive), I looked forward to eventually becoming his pupil. Years passed, I didn't make good enough grades to go to a University, and by that time I think Nunez had retired anyway. It's strange now looking back on how 'Ruby in Paradise' acted as somewhat of a cautionary tale - when I became her age I did in fact work dead end beach jobs and I had the toxic relationships to go along with them.I'm sorry if this is telling you nothing about the film but I simply do not know how to talk about it without feeling completely immersed in how personal it is. There's something about, not just small town life, but small town beach life, that is so unique. Nunez captured it in all of it's disappointing subtleties. I'm happy to report that I did escape and still ended up in the film industry in some capacity. 'Ruby in Paradise' is more than a time capsule, it's a powerful reminder of regrets and unfulfilled aspirations as well as a bittersweet serenity that makes me ache to go back.
Much like his later feature "Ulee's Gold", Victor Nuñez's indie slice of life odyssey "Ruby in Paradise" exudes loneliness and breathes authenticity through its tenderly dreamy visual storytelling and Nuñez's impeccable subtle yet vibrant minor-key composition.Nuñez brushes the journey of self-discovery with great understanding and compassion. One's hope for better days fades away, every tomorrow is the same as before, and the aimless wanderings begin to tarnish, yet, in the midst of the departure from a previous course, a new chapter arises from the cracks of a damaged past and reveals the light at the end of the tunnel.Another admirable entry in the Ashley Judd underrated cinematic universe.
I was in a deeply sensitive mood when I watched Ruby in Paradise (it was my second time over the years), and I felt kind of bad about my own self. I cannot explain it why I feel Ashley Judd is so pretty and why I feel guilty about that. There are pretty young women like her Ruby Lee Gissing, teetering on the fringes of society, whom are vulnerable and need a selfless, helping hand. Why do I feel ashamed that the first thing I feel is attracted to her, and attracted to her because of her vulnerability? But that’s how I’m wired.Ruby has such a hell of an existence in Tennessee that she leaves the place and heads aimlessly for Florida to reinvent her life. She doesn’t even want to explain what Tennessee was all about (the details are scant), but we learn her mother had died and her boyfriend was to some degree abusive. Our heroine Ruby finds a job at a beach souvenir shop, where she is rarely appreciated. In the next hour of the film, she has sexual relations with one very shallow man—who appears for a second to try to not be so shallow. And a second man, who is brainy and thoughtful and polite, but a little uppity in that particularly arty way. The two men are played by Bentley Mitchum and Todd Field. What we have is a character study of a young woman trying to hold it together, bearing multiple setbacks, daunted by a few frightening moments, and creating impromptu shifts in life choices. Judd is very beautiful to look at throughout this film, whether she is glowing from joy or whether she is persevering through hardships. My eyes cannot stop from being in awe of her.Ultimately though, I am helpless from feeling something in my heart which is what’s best, as in, what’s best for my cinematic soul. Judd is fierce and wonderful here, it could have been done as a serviceable performance by any other actress, but who could have brought such verve? Victor Nunez, the writer/director, creates some delicate and indelible moments and his camera is vérité sharp. Ruby in Paradise grows inside you weeks after you’ve watched it; certainly hugely memorable and touching.
