Manipulation, when wielded skillfully, can reshape reality and convince people to abandon their values, even their loved ones. “Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story,” directed by Kevin Fair, is a haunting exploration of how a marriage counselor, Jodi Hildebrandt, infiltrates the life of Ruby Franke, a devoted mother and wife. Only to dismantle her family from within. Remarkably, this story is drawn from real-life events, depicting Ruby as a mother who, at first, embodies traditional family values, yet under Jodi’s corrosive influence, loses sight of her responsibilities.
Ruby’s tragic incident is in news coverage by the BBC, where clips capture her expressions of guilt and remorse, underscoring the irreversible damage caused by misplaced loyalty. Ruby’s story serves as a stark reminder of the importance of discernment in trusting others, especially those whose intentions might not be as genuine as they seem. With that in mind, let’s explore how this unsettling chain of events unfolded, revealing the art and destruction of manipulation.
Spoilers Ahead
Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
The film begins with Ruby Franke sitting in a police vehicle, reflecting on the choices that brought her here. The narrative then shifts back to an earlier time. It captures the family gathered for Ruby’s younger son Russell’s birthday, all except her older son, Chad. Ruby’s husband, Kevin, records every moment for their popular YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, which has turned into more than just a hobby. It’s a major source of their family’s income. Ruby’s parenting advice and household tips have even made her a role model among other parents in their community.
When Chad doesn’t initially join the family for Russell’s celebration, Ruby approaches him, stressing the importance of his participation to maintain the channel’s viewership. She emphasizes that his presence at the party, especially beside Russell when he cuts the cake, is essential. Chad, aware that the channel finances their lifestyle, reluctantly agrees. Although Ruby expresses how much Russell admires Chad, her insistence on using terms like ‘YouTube’ and ‘contribute’ feels more like a business transaction than genuine parenting. To maintain the channel’s family-friendly image, Ruby ensures these exchanges occur off-camera, hiding the pressures placed on her children from the public eye.
Why does Ruby Meet with Jodi?
As the face of 8 Passengers, Ruby is committed to presenting her family as a model of piety and discipline to millions of followers. For Ruby, the vlogging channel is more than just content creation. It’s the core of her family’s livelihood, giving her a strong incentive to keep their life as seamless and positive as possible. Even if it means enforcing strict rules and expectations. Ruby’s adherence to a controlled image leads her to interpret Chad’s desire for privacy as a behavioral problem rather than a natural phase of teenage independence.
Ruby’s friend suggests Jodi Hildebrandt, a counselor, as someone who could offer guidance on dealing with Chad’s perceived behavioral issues. Ruby views Jodi as a professional who might help her ‘correct’ her son’s actions, realigning him with the image she desires for the family. This consultation is not about Chad’s well-being but rather Ruby’s need to resolve what she sees as a threat to her carefully crafted family persona. Ruby’s meeting with Jodi represents her attempt to assert control over Chad’s autonomy, prioritizing the family’s online identity over individual needs.
How is Jodi Responsible for Ruby’s Actions toward Her Children and Kevin?
Jodi Hildebrandt is directly responsible for driving a wedge between Ruby Franke and her husband, Kevin, by manipulating Ruby’s perception of her marriage. From the start, Jodi interprets Kevin’s natural closeness with Ruby as a sign of a deeper issue, labeling him as a person with sex addiction to cast doubt on his character.
Jodi uses her influence to convince Ruby that Kevin’s behavior is not only problematic but sinful, appealing to Ruby’s strong religious beliefs to reinforce the idea that her husband is morally flawed. By aligning her manipulations with Ruby’s faith, Jodi skillfully primes Ruby to view Kevin as untrustworthy, making her dependent on Jodi’s guidance.
Under Jodi’s influence, Ruby becomes more focused on imposing strict boundaries, which she perceives as a form of discipline. However, her actions shift from reasonable parental guidance to punitive control, compromising her children’s emotional well-being. Ruby’s decision to deny Chad a bedroom for making a lighthearted joke to Russell takes things further.
The “bean bag sleeping” (term coined by BBC in real life) incident illustrates how Jodi’s methods encourage Ruby to prioritize obedience over compassion, setting a tone of strictness that viewers find unsettling. Ruby’s once-supportive audience starts voicing concerns, leading to public backlash and even a formal complaint to child protective services.
How does Jodi Benefit from Ruby?
Jodi uses her counseling authority to embed her ideas into Ruby’s mindset, creating a dependency where Ruby rarely questions her guidance. Jodi’s suggestions do not merely offer advice but manipulate Ruby into believing that more severe discipline is crucial. This dependency blinds Ruby to Jodi’s unethical behavior, evident when Ruby ignores the allegations against Jodi from a former client. Jodi’s own channel, Connexion benefited from Ruby’s audience. This reveals that Jodi’s intentions are not entirely altruistic. By drawing Ruby into her own sphere of influence, Jodi is able to leverage Ruby’s following to grow her brand, making Ruby more of a collaborator than a client.
The relationship between Jodi and Ruby shifts Ruby’s priorities from family happiness to control and discipline, with Jodi as the driving force. Ruby’s focus transitions away from creating wholesome family content to enforcing Jodi’s philosophy. Even at the cost of her family’s unity and her channel’s popularity.
As Ruby’s interactions with her children become more about asserting authority than nurturing relationships, the audience begins to see the harmful effects of Jodi’s advice. What might have started as Ruby’s concern for her children’s values devolves into a distorted dynamic where her children’s well-being is overshadowed by Jodi’s influence.
Why does Ruby Want to Divorce Kevin?
Under Jodi’s sway, Ruby becomes convinced that Kevin’s genuine concerns for her are, in fact, attempts to control and manipulate her. This warped perspective compels Ruby to view Kevin as an obstacle to her newfound beliefs rather than as a supportive partner. Jodi also suggests that both Kevin and Russell are consumed by Satan and they need to be reclaimed. By casting Kevin’s actions in a negative light, Jodi steadily erodes Ruby’s trust in him, framing him as a threat to her personal growth and spiritual journey, which she now believes Jodi is guiding.
Ruby’s unwavering loyalty to Jodi becomes evident when she agrees to an in-house separation, an arrangement that disrupts family unity and deepens her rift with Kevin. The decision reflects how much Jodi’s guidance has influenced Ruby’s thinking, turning her against her husband of over two decades. Ruby’s children, Shari and Chad, are driven away by this dysfunction. Yet Ruby remains oblivious to the family breakdown, instead interpreting her choices as necessary steps toward a purer, more disciplined life.
As Kevin eventually loses his job and social connections due to Jodi’s schemes, Ruby’s belief that he is a negative force only solidifies. Despite Kevin’s attempts to help her see reason, Ruby is too deeply entrenched in Jodi’s distorted worldview. By equating her husband’s protective instincts with manipulation, Ruby finds herself convinced that divorce is the only path forward, unaware that she is isolating herself from the very support she once valued.
Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
The Consequences of Blind Loyalty: How Ruby’s Faith in Jodi Endangers Her Family
Ruby’s blind faith in Jodi’s guidance, despite mounting red flags, allows Jodi to influence every aspect of her life. This culminates when Ruby sends her youngest children, Eve and Russell, to live with Jodi, believing that Jodi’s disciplinary techniques will rectify their behavior. Ruby’s judgment is so clouded by her loyalty to Jodi that she fails to recognize the harm her children endure, allowing Jodi free reign over their well-being.
The situation escalates when Shari, Ruby’s eldest daughter, returns home and witnesses the dysfunction and turmoil her family is in. Observing her younger siblings’ distress and Jodi’s pervasive control over her mother, Shari realizes the urgency of the situation. She contacts law enforcement, yet their initial intervention does little to protect Eve and Russell. Shari’s actions reflect her desperate attempt to save her family from the chaos Jodi has inflicted, even as her mother remains complicit.
Meanwhile, Jodi keeps Russell in chains and does not feed him. She tells Ruby that Satan has consumed his soul and these are the only methods to prevent further damage. But Russell manages to escape from Jodi’s residence, which becomes the turning point in this story. Emaciated, hungry, and desperate, Russell’s escape and his pleas for food and water at a neighbor’s home bring child protection services into the picture. His frail condition and the signs of abuse finally provide the authorities with enough evidence to take action.
Can Ruby’s Regret and Punishment Ever Redeem the Harm Caused to Her Children?
When Ruby arrives at Jodi’s residence after learning of Russell’s escape, she is confronted with a devastating sight: Eve being wheeled out on a stretcher, severely malnourished, and requiring an oxygen mask. This moment marks Ruby’s delayed realization of the grave consequences of her choices. Witnessing her daughter’s suffering, Ruby begins to comprehend the damage she has allowed, and her complicity in subjecting her children to such pain. This shocking scene highlights the depth of her failure as a mother, blinded by her faith in Jodi.
In the end, we see, Jodi undergoing a rare moment of self-awareness and accepting her guilt, pleading alongside Ruby. Both women receive a 30-year prison sentence for their actions, although the punishment scarcely addresses the trauma inflicted upon the children. The movie’s closing scene, a dream sequence of Ruby celebrating her birthday with her family, serves as a poignant reminder of what she has lost through her misguided loyalty to Jodi. It underscores the profound regret and loss Ruby faces, recognizing too late the life she has destroyed by enabling Jodi’s control.
