“Baby Ruby” has landed North American distribution following its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival last month. Magnolia Pictures snagged rights to Bess Wohl’s psychological thriller about a new motherhood. Deadline broke the news.
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire’s” Noémie Merlant stars as Jo, “a successful, French lifestyle entrepreneur who is happily pregnant, awaiting the arrival of her first child. But soon after Jo welcomes baby Ruby home, something starts to feel off — even though she’s assured it’s all perfectly normal. As she fights to protect herself and her baby, she is plunged into a waking fever dream where everyone is a threat and nothing is what it seems,” the source teases.
“Much of my work emerges from a tiny personal spark that I can then push to extremes. Becoming a parent was a deeply transformative experience for me — as it is for many. I quickly realized that I hadn’t seen a lot of movies that really portrayed the complexities of this transformation, even the parts that are dangerous, taboo, and scary to talk about. I wanted to find a way to say the things that are rarely said, and to make space for both beauty and terror,” Wohl told us. “It’s still sadly rare to see a story about a female character that portrays her in her full humanity. I hope that someday treating women as full human beings won’t feel like such a radical act.”
“Bess Wohl shows how terrifying the pursuit of a ‘perfect life’ can be,” said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles. “Noémie Merlant convincingly inhabits the role of a woman who has it all.”
Wohl added, “I am tremendously proud that ‘Baby Ruby’ has found a home with Magnet and can’t wait for audiences to discover and experience this emotional, raw, and mind-bending time in the life of a young couple.”
“Baby Ruby” marks Wohl’s feature directorial debut. Also a playwright, her play “Grand Horizons” was nominated for a Tony Award.
A trailer recently dropped for another woman-directed Magnet title, Carlota Pereda’s “Piggy,” a revenge story about a bullied teenage girl.
