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If you didn’t know that “Nine Days” was director Edson Oda’s feature film debut, you’d assume he had a long list of credits under his belt before watching the film. It takes courage for him to present his bold vision (for which he also wrote the script), and it takes courage for him to place the eternal questions of human existence at the heart of his first film: What does it mean to be alive? How do we make the most of our time while we are here? Is it even possible to do so? Oda does not shy away from these important questions, and he finds a way to address them in a way that is free of hokum and New-Age bromides to the greatest extent possible. When “Nine Days” premiered at Sundance last year, it was met with acclaim. It’s a tremendously exciting debut.
An early moment in the film demonstrates Oda’s sensitivity to the accumulation of small everyday moments that serve the story that is being presented. He establishes a connection between the otherworldly and the familiar. Will (Winston Duke) and Kyo (Benedict Wong) work in a small clapboard house that is surrounded by forbidding desert. They are watching a video recording of a violin prodigy’s concerto, which is playing on one of the screens in a wall of vintage televisions, each of which is connected to an old-school rickety VCR. Will and Kyo are all decked out in preparation for the concert. I’m going to put on a bowtie. They are standing at attention, their eyes fixed on the small screen. They have the appearance of proud fathers.
That is made clear in the well-crafted opening sequences, which feature deliberate pacing and an unwillingness to rush through or over-explain anything. All unborn souls are evaluated by Will, and only those who pass muster to move on and enter the world as new life are permitted to do so. He puts them through a nine-day process that is extremely demanding. Will himself was once a living being. He was once “selected” by a figure who looked eerily similar to himself. As a result, he has a comprehensive understanding of the world and humanity. He approaches this process with a command that is both firm and unyielding. He must choose the soul that is most suitable for him. He must refrain from becoming overly involved. Will chose the violin prodigy as one of his favorites, and he watches over her life on television with almost unbearable emotion as she struggles to make ends meet. She is referred to as “his.” Each of his “picks” has a meticulous file folder dedicated to them, in which he keeps meticulously labeled VHS tapes of every moment in their lives.
New candidates walk across a stretch of desert to his house and knock on his door to introduce themselves. These candidates, who are played by Tony Hale, Bill Skarsgrd, Arianna Ortiz, David Rysdahl, and Zazie Beetz, arrive with a wide range of personalities and sensibilities, as well as varying attitudes toward the selection process. “You will still be you,” Will explains after explaining that once they are born on earth, they will forget everything that has happened to them (the implication being that we arrive on this earth with essences already in place). Will was horrified to see footage of Amanda, the violinist, crashing her car while on her way to a concert just before the new batch of candidates arrived on the scene (the television screen switches to color bars and then goes black). Will is unable to comprehend. He goes through his files, looking for any clues as to her current state of mind. Was there something he missed? What could have happened to cause this? He takes the loss particularly hard. He is also working with each candidate, putting them through their paces as they progress through the process. Will, on the other hand, appears to be “off.” His sense of balance has been shattered. Duke does an excellent job of establishing Will’s normal personality, so that we are immediately aware that something has changed.
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Although the scenario is imaginative and well-constructed, the strength of “Nine Days” lies in the mood Oda creates, and the clarity with which he establishes this world, how it operates, its rules, and its traditions. There is a score by Antonio Pinto, but it is intermittently audible for long stretches of time. When music manifests itself, it does so with great resonance and power. Oda’s script is jam-packed with dialogue. The scenes are lengthy, and they frequently deal with extremely difficult metaphysical and ethical issues. It’s common to hear people repeat, ad nauseam, that the rule of “show, don’t tell” is a crucial one in communication. However, there are a plethora of very “talky” films that are equally compelling. Rules are made to be broken, and Oda’s script is one that does just that. This is assisted by the actors, who approach the material with vulnerability and insight.
Each scene depicts the progression of the process. Every detail must be considered. A candidate, Emma (Beetz), stands out from the rest of her fellow candidates. She is unable to comply with the requirements of Will’s questionnaire. She asks questions about his questions, which he answers. When presented with a hypothetical scenario and asked what she would do, she sometimes says, “I don’t know.” It’s unheard of. Will is irritated by her, but he is also strangely drawn to her in a strange way. Because of her transparent face and beautiful emotional openness, Beetz is the embodiment of receptivity. She takes everything in. She may be a new soul, but she can’t help but notice Will’s unfinished business when she looks him in the eyes. She inquires as to why his experience as a living human was so painful, but Will declines to provide any additional information. He closes the filing cabinet door on his own story and walks away.
Nine Days Quiz
It is possible to find other films that venture into this metaphysical, almost spiritual territory, with Albert Brooks’ “Defending Your Life” being the most obviously obvious example. According to the plot of “Defending Your Life,” the recently deceased are transported to a Purgatory-style resort, where they are evaluated on whether or not they are ready to “move on,” presumably to Heaven. Brooks approached this subject matter with a lighthearted attitude, and he achieved a profound result. “Nine Days,” on the other hand, has a longing, bittersweet quality that comes from Will’s unhappiness at the thought of the pain that awaits the unborn souls when they are released from his care. Another question is whether or not life is worth living in the face of all that suffering and the possibility of death, which is a difficult one to answer.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Nine Days quiz.
Despite the fact that Kurosawa’s “Ikiru” does not contain any supernatural or sci-fi elements, the film’s concerns are very similar. Is it possible to be completely conscious of your life as you are experiencing it? Is it true that becoming aware of death changes the way we live? We’re always under the impression that we have a little more time. We waste precious time worrying about insignificant details. This scene from “Ikiru” is echoed in “Nine Days,” specifically in the scenes where Will offers the rejected candidate the opportunity to experience a moment of life that they have only seen on television. It is not surprising that the candidates choose fleeting moments, those of small sensory pleasures: riding a bike, playing in the waves, etc., as their favorite activities. When Emily is given the opportunity to relive one day of her life in Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, she decides to cut the exercise short because it is painful and life is passing her by too quickly. When she says goodbye to the earth, it will be the little things that she will remember the most:
“Goodbye to clocks ticking … and Mama’s sunflowers. There’s also food and coffee. And new ironed dresses and hot baths… and sleeping and waking up… and more sleeping and waking up Oh, planet Earth, you are far too wonderful for anyone to fully appreciate you. Do any human beings ever come to terms with the fact that they are living life—every, single minute of it?”
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This is the territory that the film “Nine Days” occupies. In this unfamiliar territory, there are numerous pitfalls to avoid, including sentimentality, oversimplification, and the use of pushed emotions accompanied by sweeping strings. “Nine Days” does not steer clear of all of these pitfalls. The film has a couple of moments that feel more pushed than they do determined. Will’s journey, as well as Emma’s encouragement of Will to open up about his pain, teeters on the verge of becoming a cliché, like the scene in “Good Will Hunting” where Robin Williams makes Matt Damon cry. Oda’s touch, on the other hand, is extremely controlled, and the actors are so invested in their roles that the film does not come across as manipulative. When the catharsis finally occurs, it is exhilarating.
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It’s simple to move an audience to tears with your performance. However, creating a film that honestly asks the question, “Do any human beings ever realize life while they are living it?” as posed by Emily is a difficult task. While the film asks the question over and over again, it also provides space for the answer to reveal itself in the course of nine days.
Now playing in select theaters.
For more personality quizzes check this: Lamb Of God The Concert Film Quiz.
