To call this film disturbing would be an understatement, and yet it manages to remain simple and heartfelt, with a touch of gossamer wistfulness. In embracing a child's point of view, the audience is taken on a journey that is both beautiful and grotesque at the same time. By allowing us into young Ruby's experience, the filmmaker is able to show some deeply disturbing scenes with a candor and a guilelessness that might not be possible with an older character. So although we are viewing the unspeakable and the tragic, it all feels very "normal," because this character is still so innocent. The choice to go black and white gives this film an almost noir-like feel which enhances the over-all story telling. And the film's signature, for me, was it's unique use of the shadow puppets which Ruby plays with. These beautiful images give the film a specialness that makes you wish that the strange beauty of her child's mind could become a place we could return to again and again. These lovely images juxtaposed against a background of the starkest tragedy, creates a dissonance that will stay with you.
