Auckland Star 23/7/90

By Russell Baillie

CHARMING RUBY DESERVES TO BE A HIT

****RUBY AND RATA
Stars: Yvonne Lawley, Vanessa Rare
Director: Gaylene Preston

The highlight of the big Kiwi contribution at the Festival so far must be Gaylene Preston’s ‘RUBY and RATA’. A charmingly crafted and written comedy drama shot in Auckland last year, it had its Premier public screening in its home city in the ‘primetime’ slot of last Saturday night.

With Director Preston, producer Robin Laing and cast present at the St James it received a deservedly rapturous response from its audience…’RUBY and RATA’ (directed) by the experienced Preston pitches itself just right.

Graeme Tetley’s finely executed screenplay, Leon Narbey’s camerawork ( Mount Albert has never looked so good ) and Jonathan Crayford’s score – as well as the abundant acting talents of cast – all contribute to a film that – handled right – should return to our cinemas as a long-awaited local hit.

Yvonne Lawley of ‘Gloss’ fame, surpasses herself as Ruby, the tetchy old lady who lives upstairs above Vanessa Rare’s Rata, the welfare-dependent single parent with rock dreams. Between them comes Rata’s problem child, Willie ( Lee Mete-Kingi – a star is born ), in a suburban story which drops just on the right side of sentimentality.