Imagine that before you were ever born, you had to pass through some kind of initiation process to ensure that you were cut out for life on Earth. Picture living through a series of mental challenges and aptitude tests just to prove that you have certain inherent qualities that could lead to a rich, fulfilling existence amongst your fellow human beings. Try to imagine what it would feel like to spend a week or more quietly being judged by your actions, thoughts, and opinions, only to be told just hours before the end of the assessment that you don’t have what it takes.
Edson Oda’s feature directorial debut, Nine Days, essentially covers this exact scenario. Oda’s film takes viewers into a barren, desert landscape inhabited by Will (Winston Duke), an arbiter of sorts whose sole purpose is to observe candidates for human life and determine which of them seems fit to be born. Neither living nor dead, the individuals that pass through Will’s program are posed a series of thought-provoking inquiries, allowing Will to discern what kind of moral fiber his participants are made of. Oda’s artistic delivery of a highly creative, provocative piece yields a memorable viewing experience.
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Here is how Nine Days offers a unique look at human nature.
What Takes Place?
Sony Pictures Classics
Will is seemingly the sole inhabitant of a desert landscape, living in a dust-covered home abode surrounded by nothing. We find Will, with a notepad in hand, seated before a wall of antiquated television sets and VHS tapes, watching a collection of videos shot from various individuals’ points of view. We are soon introduced to Kyo (Benedict Wong) and learn that Will does not, in fact, live entirely alone with his tapes. The two companions eagerly await a violin concerto on one of the many small screens, performed by a certain Amanda (Lisa Starrett) that they both appear to be enormously fond of. The on-screen death of Amanda while driving to her performance shakes the two spectators to their core and provides the audience a clearer picture of who these individuals are.
It is revealed that Will’s occupation revolves around selecting candidates to be born into a human body. Will, Kyo, and all of these hopeful participants who pass through Will’s door are neither living nor dead but rather exist in a state of temporary being, where the body serves as a temporary vehicle while they prove themselves. The plot introduces us to a small cast of characters and their interactions with Will, including note writing sessions while sitting in front of his television wall.
Will’s temperament has apparently shifted radically since the death of Amanda, who we learn to be one of his most beloved previous candidates. Will can be gruff and cold but has a genuine soft spot revealed. We learn that he has made it a practice to provide those who are not chosen for life with one final, dying wish before they fade back into non-existence. What our protagonist did not count on was being observed himself by Emma (Zazie Beetz), a candidate who senses the pain behind Will’s gaze as soon as she sets foot in his remote lodging.
Who’s Who?
Winston Duke, who has starred M’Baku in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, plays the lead role of Will, lending a quiet seriousness to the character that leaves audiences dying to learn more about his past. While not a chooser himself, Will’s companion Kyo helps Will with his difficult decisions and is played by Benedict Wong. A far cry from the dramatic intensity of his performance as Kublai Khan in Netflix’s Marco Polo, Wong delivers a light-hearted and highly good-natured character who displays a softer side to Will’s candidates and is deeply pained to see his close companion suffer following the death of beloved Amanda.
Atlanta star Zazie Beetz plays the young, optimistic Emma. Her positive outlook on potential life eventually breaks down Will’s emotional exoskeleton, and helps him come to terms with Amanda’s death. Bill Skarsgård plays Kane, a candidate with a far more realistic view of his perceived world. Tony Hale plays Alex, whose generally lax attitude leads to his eventual disqualification from being chosen for human life.
What Does It Mean?
To answer this question would be a tall order, as Nine Days provides viewers with endless food for thoughts. The plot explores humanity through the lens of personalities. Though taking on human form, it is very clearly stated that none of the movie’s characters are in fact “alive” as we know it. They are merely passing through a state of limbo and having their predetermined outlooks on life judged before they are even born.
It is revealed that Will, at one time, had been alive on Earth and was returned to this non-living world to act as the arbiter for these pre-humans. He is one of many with the same job. However, Kyo informs us that Will is the only person with his position that goes to great lengths to give the disqualified their final experience. Will is judgmental out of necessity but displays a soft, loving quality that is apparent to Emma, who is insistent on bringing the joyous side out in him.
The movie puts its viewers in the characters’ minds with simply elegant plot points and open-ended questions of one’s own humanity and human characteristics. The message is shared that there is no single recipe for success but that our lives are constantly shaped by experience, and our predispositions ultimately do not define us entirely.
