Nine Days

Name: Nine Days
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Released: July 30, 2021
Duration: 124 min
Rating: 72
Cast: Arianna Ortiz, Benedict Wong, Bill Skarsgård, Brandy Pitcher, Caleb Fralick

2021

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 29 Ratings

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6.9

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6.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 29 Ratings

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Nine Days

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Movie Details & Credits

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: July 30, 2021 | R

Starring: Arianna Ortiz, Benedict Wong, Bill Skarsgård, Brandy Pitcher, Caleb Fralick, David Rysdahl, Eliza de Azevedo Brown, Elizaveta Shaikhulina, Eric Ramaekers, Geraldine Hughes, Jeffrey Hanson, Lisa Starrett, Logan Smith, Perry Smith, Sterlin English, Taran Marshall, Tony Hale, Winston Duke, Zazie Beetz

Summary: Will (Winston Duke) spends his days in a remote outpost watching the live Point of View (POV) on TV's of people going about their lives, until one subject perishes, leaving a vacancy for a new life on earth. Soon, several candidates — unborn souls — arrive at Will's to undergo tests determining their fitness, facing oblivion when they areWill (Winston Duke) spends his days in a remote outpost watching the live Point of View (POV) on TV's of people going about their lives, until one subject perishes, leaving a vacancy for a new life on earth. Soon, several candidates — unborn souls — arrive at Will's to undergo tests determining their fitness, facing oblivion when they are deemed unsuitable. But Will soon faces his own existential challenge in the form of free-spirited Emma (Zazie Beetz), a candidate who is not like the others, forcing him to turn within and reckon with his own tumultuous past. Fueled by unexpected power, he discovers a bold new path forward in his own life. … Expand

Director: Edson Oda

Genre(s): Drama, Fantasy

Rating: R

Runtime: 124 min

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Critic Reviews

The Playlist Gregory Ellwood

Feb 1, 2020

Nine Days is the sort of original cinematic art that, these days, is few and far between. Read full review

Peter Debruge

Feb 1, 2020

Nine Days is that rare work of art that invites you to re-consider your entire worldview. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Sheila O'Malley

Jul 30, 2021

The strength of Nine Days is not so much the scenario (although that is imaginative and well-constructed) but the mood Oda sets, the clarity with which he establishes this world, how it operates, its rules and traditions. Read full review

Josh Larsen

Aug 16, 2021

Nine Days is slow going at first—it sometimes feels as if the title is a reference to its running time—but eventually this pensive, existential thought experiment blossoms into something more cinematic. Read full review

Scott Campbell

Aug 3, 2021

Nine Days is a fascinating, thought-provoking and incredibly moving feature directorial debut from Edson Oda. Read full review

IndieWire Eric Kohn

Feb 1, 2020

There’s certainly enough here to provoke meaningful questions that transcend the boundaries of the frame, and Nine Days hits a commendable note about the value of embracing life’s unpredictable turns. But no matter its celestial implications, the movie can’t shake the impression of a brilliant concept that never takes flight. Read full review

Elizabeth Weitzman

Jul 29, 2021

When a movie doesn’t hold up to introspection as a whole, it’s best to examine its parts. And some of those are admirable. Read full review

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User Reviews

Taplinger

Nov 27, 2021

A movie this well-crafted, thoughtful, and sad comes along once in a while. Add superb acting and luminous cinematography and you have a film you'll want to share with the friends you love the most, and no doubt see again with more friends and your favorite lovers. If it doesn't make you cryA movie this well-crafted, thoughtful, and sad comes along once in a while. Add superb acting and luminous cinematography and you have a film you'll want to share with the friends you love the most, and no doubt see again with more friends and your favorite lovers. If it doesn't make you cry you're pretty tough.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Kloudy11

Dec 16, 2021

This beautiful and devastating film will change how you look at life. A must watch.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Buddah

Aug 20, 2021

I am not sure I ever gave a movie a "10" before. But when a movie leaves you wanting more, inspired to write a creative story such as this, and go search who Edson Oda is and what else he has done, then you got to give the props where due. I would not want to give anything away because theI am not sure I ever gave a movie a "10" before. But when a movie leaves you wanting more, inspired to write a creative story such as this, and go search who Edson Oda is and what else he has done, then you got to give the props where due. I would not want to give anything away because the unraveling of this movie package is what makes this movie so special. The stars, Winston Duke and Zazie Beetz have been bit actors up to now, and when they were given the baton to run, they took off like they had a a jet fuel pack strapped to their backs. I hope the screenplay, the director and these actors get Oscar consideration. Please see this in any format you can, because it is so worth seeing.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

JEsFsF

Nov 4, 2021

I'm not sure I understand half of "Nine Days". But the half I did understand is deeply moving. And it is fully beautiful. If you appreciate tales of struggle, redemption, and transcendence, you'll like this film. Maybe love it.

One could argue that the pacing is a little slow. Its richI'm not sure I understand half of "Nine Days". But the half I did understand is deeply moving. And it is fully beautiful. If you appreciate tales of struggle, redemption, and transcendence, you'll like this film. Maybe love it.

One could argue that the pacing is a little slow. Its rich setting and setup engages you, but it gets a slow in the middle. If you stick with it, the final third flies by.

Unlike a lot of "artsy" films where I'm lost and content to stay lost, the half that remains unclear to me draws me to watch the film again. I will be rewarded, I might even be better.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

JLuis_001

Nov 6, 2021

Nine Days has quite an ambitious concept. It's actually really ambitious. Yet its director didn't do much with it beyond the clear philosophical and to some extent religious implications.

Its own introspection provokes questions that will inevitably go unanswered because the script'sNine Days has quite an ambitious concept. It's actually really ambitious. Yet its director didn't do much with it beyond the clear philosophical and to some extent religious implications.

Its own introspection provokes questions that will inevitably go unanswered because the script's approach is clearly designed to function within the confines of what this story portrays.
That clearly puts a limit to what it can do and where else it could go, for the simple reason that its theme inevitably falls because of that.

I give credit to this film for what it explores and because it does it better than I thought it would. But there's also a lot that remains undeveloped here.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

TVJerry

Aug 11, 2021

Winston Duke’s character is a sort of cross between the stork and a guardian angel. He sits in a craftsman house in the desert, watching the people he “birthed” on old TVs, while recording momentous events on VHS (the retro tech is never explained). When one of his charges dies unexpectedly,Winston Duke’s character is a sort of cross between the stork and a guardian angel. He sits in a craftsman house in the desert, watching the people he “birthed” on old TVs, while recording momentous events on VHS (the retro tech is never explained). When one of his charges dies unexpectedly, 5 new entities (unborn souls?) must interview to become a human. Duke heads a cast of actors who stretch their dramatic talents with involving performances, including Tony Hale, Zazie Beetz and Bill Skarsgård. This is one of those tedious, pretentious experiments that may appeal to people who like esoteric, poetic musings on life. For the rest of us, the pace is deadly and there isn’t really a story, just a string of mind games disguised as tests (and dramatic opportunities for the actors). First time writer/director Edson Oda presents a unique vision and a promising point of view, but not one that will appeal to many mainstream moviegoers.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

apolius

Nov 6, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Slow and boring, The movie tries so hard to get me attached yet I can't recall most of the characters names nor do I connect with them. Will tries to find the person with the best traits for life as if we are born with a personality and stuck with it, the movie implies we are who we are because we are born that way, I disagree! If I was born and raised in different conditions I would never be the same person, because my experiences shaped me and they continue to do that every moment of my life. the group of people he was "testing" already had a personality and reacted the way they did because they had experiences, they had lived. But the movie limited this to the girl at the end (Emma) as if she was the unique one and all the rest were generic. Good acting, music, visuals but the story and the ideas and the lines are just bad.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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