Victor Nunez imbues this unsentimental tale of a young woman's emotional journey with a sense of poetry seldom seen in cinema. By poetry I mean the sense in which the literary and the cinematic come into play. There is something very literary about the film, almost as if a novel has been adapted page by page to screen. In this sense, the film achieves depths many cannot; but it is also rather slow at other times, undercutting the depths it once achieved in favor of ennui. The film's star Ashley Judd has not yet made a better film than her debut here. She fits the role of lead Ruby like a glove, almost as if she didn't have to act. She has true movie star presence in the film, and hasn't really managed to convey the same allure in her later films, although she was impressive in Normal Life.

In the sea of crap that Hollywood (and others) continue to put out, this is one of those diamonds in the rough. A small, simple movie that is very entertaining and leaves you with the feeling that you didn't just waste an hour and a half of your life.

Ashley Judd is really quite amazing in this movie. I had never really been a fan or had noticed her before but going back and seeing this early performance of hers convinced me she's extremely talented.

Watching this film was an assignment in a college course for me so I was skeptical I would even care. I thought, "Oh boy, some dumb chic flick or feminist male-bashing indie crap..." I was pleasantly surprised. Without analyzing the many relevant themes, I'll just say, if you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and check it out. Sometimes the down-to-earth, slice-of-life movies are the best, and this is a great one.

This film features an accurate depiction of a Florida tourist town in the off-season, as well as the acting range and talent of Ashley Judd.

Panama City, Florida no longer resembles anything like the town seen in this film from 1993. Nearly everything you see in this film, from the souvenir shop to the iconic space needle, have all been destroyed by either tropical storms or capitalism. So, when watching the film, you are witnessing lost history.

Anyone who has lived in a tourist town knows the unsettling quiet nature of the off-season. It can be shocking to see a place that is often pictured with so much activity being completely empty. It's off-putting at first, but peaceful. The open space gives the local residence an entire city that feels like a quiet beachfront park. Most of this film is shot in Panama City during the off-season, and it was the perfect setting for cerebral Ruby to experiment and contemplate her life.

Ashley Judd plays a character that evolves throughout the film. The film has less dialog than most, and requires a lot of non-verbal acting. It is not an easy task to show personal growth in 90 minutes without many lines, but Ashley Judd proves capable in this tough role. Oh, by the way, she carries the entire film with her performance. Amazing.

RealReview Posting Scoring Criteria: Acting - 1/1; Casting - 1/1; Directing - 1/1; Story - 1/1; Writing/Screenplay - 1/1;

Total Base Score = 5

Modifiers (+ or -): Originality: +1;

Authentic Location Shooting: +0.5 (Shot in a past version of Panama City, Florida, that no longer exists - before the huge 'Spring Break' influx and a few major storms. The outside shots are nostalgic and a little sad to anyone that has spent time there over the years.);

Standout Performances: +1 ( Ashley Judd . Vulnerable, naive, clever, thoughtful, ever evolving from start-to-finish... A huge acting performance in such a small film.);

Believability/Consistency: +0.5 (Captured the feel of a small Florida tourist town in the off season. Unfortunately, they avoided the early 'Spring Break' crowd and activity that would have been extra nostalgic.);

Editing-Too Long: -0.5 (The night club sequence should have been much shorter. They didn't pay for decent music, the set and clothing were out-of-date, and there were too many people there for it to have been the off season.);

Total RealReview Rating: 7.5 (rounded up to 8 for IMDB.)