Nine Days - Movie Review

Critics Score - 8 of 10

General Audience Score - 5 of 10

The concept of an afterlife is one that has both puzzled and enthralled, tortured and inspired, filled with wonder and with dread. The life beyond, if such a thing exists, is surely the one thing that mankind as a whole would choose to have the curtains pulled back and have all the secrets and mysteries of the beyond unlocked, if indeed any lock even exists. Nine days, the new film from Sony Pictures, tries to tackle, not so much life after we’re done on earth, but existence before earth and in general. This film is aimed straight at cinephiles and will reward anyone who is willing to take the time to sit down and soak up all the existential questions this film raises and picks apart. But for some in the mainstream audience, this movie will frustrate and annoy, a few in many cinemas will be reaching for their phones halfway through and getting the rest of the audience upset with them. But for those that have the endurance, the love of life and the love of film have come together and it's name is Nine Days.

We're introduced to an opening sequence of film clips of Amanda, a young girl who, as the clips progress and we see her growing up, becomes a world class violin player over the course of a couple minutes. Finally we meet Will (Winston Duke), as he takes notes and scrutinzes the video clips of Amanda on an extremely dated television, we finally see him stop a recording and take a VHS tape out of a VCR. As Will does this process with several individuals, we understand it's his job of sorts to keep tabs and take notes on a select group of individuals and his friend Kyo (Benedict Wong) is there to assist him in some capacity. While we never get all the answers about what this world is, how Will's job works and even where this movie is supposedly taking place, somewhat like Lost, we do get the pertinent info required for understanding what it is the film wants us to take away. Will then begins to interview individuals for a vacancy that we quickly come to understand is a chance to have a life here on earth. Seven lost souls? are interviewed where Will asks them soul searching questions, no pun intended, to narrow down the candidates, the most notable of whom are the lively Emma (Zazie Beetz), and the pessimistic Kane (Bill Skarsgard). There’s a lot going on in this screenplay, many characters are deconstructed and evaluated before our eyes, the gravity of these souls eventuality is witnessed when one doesn’t make the cut and disappears before our eyes, think Bing Bong from Inside Out. The original score is also wonderful, helping the film hit it’s emotional beats with piano and violin compositions guiding us along the way to a finale that’s almost surprising in how it chooses not to totally wreck the audience emotionally.

When we reach the final sequence, if you’ve bought into what the film is selling, you’ll either be in tears or you’ll be rethinking your life, what it all means and how you should live it. Any film that can accomplish such a feat is bound to be a hot ticket among critics groups, but if the abstract nature of these sets and production combined with the questions about the world that are left unanswered are big road blocks to your enjoyment of it, I cannot tell you that you’re wrong. While most everything Will does in this retro decorated home is interesting, it never really captivates us and the two hour runtime drags a bit through the first two acts, for even the most ardent moviegoer. But the acting is brilliant, with Duke and Beetz leading the way of a fantastic ensemble cast that makes this other-worldly film feel all too familiar and down to earth. 

SUMMARY -  Nine Days is a very special film yet may have a very polarizing effect on audiences. Some will be frustrated, open the Facebook app, or even fall asleep while others will be moved to tears, find new meaning and purpose in their lives and be overflowing with gratitude and appreciation for each moment they get to spend with all Nine Days.