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KILLING RUBY

Eugene lives in a small town in rural Massachusetts - the kind of place people rarely get out of. When we meet him, he’s in a bit of a rough patch: he still works at the local Dunkin’ Donuts, lives in a cramped studio apartment, and has been dumped by his girlfriend (who cheated on him). When he receives some heartbreaking news he decides to take matters into his own hands, but he needs a gun... So he goes looking for one. And through his search Eugene finds an honesty he thought long-buried and a courage he hopes will stay with him into the future. A modern day folk tale about reclaiming a lost rite of passage in a world that has grown increasingly detached and dispassionate, KILLING RUBY examines the pity and fear of what it means to be a "man".

  • Sam O'Mahony
    Director
    Directorial debut
  • Sean McConaghy
    Writer
  • Emily Harris
    Producer
    LOVE IS THICKER THAN WATER, THREE TOWERS, MACHINE
  • Donnla Hughes
    Producer
  • Sam O'Mahony
    Producer
  • Sean McConaghy
    Key Cast
    THE SANTA INCIDENT, CALLOUSED HANDS, THE TASK, LEAVE TO ENTER
  • Justin James Lang
    Key Cast
    ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK, GIRLS
  • Steve Kidd
    Key Cast
    UNDERDOG, BROTHERHOOD
  • David Samuel
    Key Cast
  • Jed Hancock Brainerd
    Key Cast
  • Anthony Estrella
    Key Cast
    MANCHESTER-BY-THE SEA, THE DEPARTED, BROTHERHOOD
  • Karen McConaghy
    Supporting Cast
  • Kathy Dingley
    Supporting Cast
  • Tara Gomes
    Supporting Cast
  • Laurie Fernandez
    Supporting Cast
  • Beth Czech
    Supporting Cast
  • Madison Gomes
    Supporting Cast
  • Avery Gomes
    Supporting Cast
  • Ava Fernandez
    Supporting Cast
  • Sofia Fernandez
    Supporting Cast
  • Mia Fernandez
    Supporting Cast
  • James Czech
    Supporting Cast
  • Victoria Czech
    Supporting Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Dark Comedy
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes 6 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 3, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    8,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Sam O'Mahony

Sam O'Mahony was born in County Kildare, Ireland. He trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and consequently worked at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. He has appeared on a number of TV shows and films, working on BBC, RTE, Starz and ABC amongst others. KILLING RUBY is his directorial debut.

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Director Statement

What struck me most about KILLING RUBY was it’s simplicity. It felt like an old folk tale or a ballad. And yet, like all great tales, with each read it began to reveal more and more layers. It begins as a simple story about a man looking for a gun but it ends somewhere else, somewhere more complex. I knew that to justify Sean’s script, my own storytelling decisions would have to be simple, almost old-fashioned. I wanted to let the characters tell the story, rather than the camera or the editing. We shot in Sean’s hometown of Rehoboth, Massachusetts which has a timeless quality to it, and in January the landscape is frozen - almost devoid of colour. The decision to shoot in black and white seemed like a perfect way to push that simplicity even further. I’ve always enjoyed shorts that feel like shorts: a standalone 15-20 minutes of strong storytelling, as opposed to something that feels like it wants to be a feature. And to me, Sean's script for KILLING RUBY was the perfect model for a short: entertaining, uplifting and, in its own quirky way, rewarding and redemptive. It’s a fable for our times and one I was delighted to have the opportunity to tell.