Baby Ruby ending explained: Who is that mysterious figure?

Although, it's not new. Not exactly. The film did come out a year earlier in cinemas, but now that it's available on Netflix, the directorial debut of Tony-nominated playwright Bess Wohl is finally being watched by a much wider audience.

Noémie Merlant takes centre stage in the role of Jo, a loving wife to Harington's Spencer who starts to struggle after giving birth to their child named Ruby.

Strange things begin to happen that makes Jo question if Ruby is angry with her in some way, and everything starts to spiral from that point on.

The result is an intriguing horror which feels painfully real for anyone who's felt overwhelmed by new parenthood and the pressures of motherhood, especially in a society where postpartum depression is often dismissed as nothing more than just the "Baby Blues".

But what about the ending? Is it just as depressing or does Jo find some relief at last? Read on to have the Baby Ruby ending explained.

Baby Ruby ending explained: Who is that mysterious figure at the end?

It takes a while for Spencer and his mother, Doris, to realise something's not right with Jo, because the signs come gradually at first.

One night, Spencer suggests he and Jo go out for dinner and leave Ruby with Doris at home. The night's ruined, though, when Jo checks the baby monitor to find it's been knocked over.

In a panic, the couple rush home, only to discover that everything is fine. But is it? Because when Jo tries to feed her baby later that night, Ruby bites her nipple, which makes Jo start to question if the child is angry with her for leaving…

This stray thought eventually becomes a fixation for Jo, who's become convinced that Ruby is unhappy with her parenting. Anxiety and delusions take hold, which lead to rage when Spencer suggests giving Jo a break so he can have some quality time alone with their child.

As her feelings of inadequacy grow, so too does the paranoia. A book on parenting soon reinforces the idea that Ruby is trying to send signals to Jo, but when she visits Spencer at work to tell him this, he grows even more concerned that something's wrong.

To try and ease the pressure, Spencer calls his mother Doris over to stay so she can help look after Ruby and take some of the pressure off Jo.

As if inviting your mother-in-law is ever going to calm things down…

The two mothers do open up to each other, though, and Doris reveals that she herself once suffered postpartum depression too. And during that time, she felt some murderous intentions towards her son.

Doris didn't act on them, of course. If she had, then Spencer wouldn't be here now, would he? But Jo is unsettled by this secret nonetheless, and revealing it ends up having the opposite effect than was intended.

By this point, Jo starts to suspect that everyone is out to harm Ruby, including Doris, the other mothers, and even her husband Spencer, despite his unwavering support. When he rightly suggests that they find professional help for her delusions, Jo suddenly grabs Ruby and flees in their car.

An accident ensues, leaving the car crushed and Jo severely injured. But thankfully, Jo shields Ruby with her body in the crash so she was unharmed. Doctors then help Jo physically, but also emotionally and mentally too, until they decide it's time for her to be released and return home.

Even now that she's seemingly better, Jo is still afraid of being around her daughter in case the delusions return and she ends up harming their child. Spencer tries to reassure Jo, pointing out that she did everything she could to save Ruby when it mattered most. Perhaps she'll feel better after a night back home…

But then, Jo is woken up in the middle of the night by Ruby's crying. She's hungry, but Jo loses her nerve and struggles to feed her. And that's when things get really weird.

Out of nowhere, Jo suddenly sees a mysterious figure snatch Ruby and race off into the nearby woods. But when Jo catches up to them, she realises that the thief is actually her, or at least another version of her. So, was there secretly a supernatural doppelganger of her wandering around this whole time?

No, it's Jo's internalised fears and paranoia brought to life inside her psyche. And that means this is actually a happy ending, not a sign of her mind fragmenting further, because when Jo demands for Ruby to be handed back, she smiles, accepting her child and the future they're going to embark on together.

The credits roll then, suggesting that the healing is complete, or at least on the right path towards happiness together as a family.

That's not to say Baby Ruby isn't a horror movie. But instead of supernatural problems, it's the very real horror of postpartum psychosis that Jo's been forced to face.

This sense of disconnection from your newborn child is actually very common in new mothers thanks to the hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy and childbirth. The problem is that people don't talk about this boogeyman enough. It's too easily dismissed, despite the very real suffering it can cause.

So yes, Baby Ruby is a horror movie based on very real horrors, which makes it all the more scary, but all the more poignant too, raising vital issues that can and should be discussed so much more than they are in mainstream society.

Baby Ruby is now streaming on Netflix – sign up from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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