Nine Days (2021)

One of the toughest questions to wrestle with in life is pain and suffering and while the philosophers and theologians reflect on this question, so much of our art tackles it as well. For me the most satisfying of that art is that which does not attempt to answer the questions, but sit with it, breathe it in. So much of Nine Days felt like it was meditating on and living with pain and loss, and often the film was able to evoke for me the moments in my own experience.

Winston Duke gives a performance here like nothing I have seen him do before, as someone struggling with extreme loss, repressing so much of who he is, and tasked with making impossible choices. Explaining exactly who and what he is would ruin the way the story unfolds so instead I'll just say that watching his arc through this story is a revelation and he delivers, and by the end, he comes to vivid life in a climactic moment that is emotionally powerful. While he has been charismatic in the films I've seen him in before, nothing has prepared me for what he does here. 

Playing off him Benedict Wong is just delightful to watch the entire time too, striking the right balance between being the jovial counterpoint to Duke's central character while also bringing gravity to his scenes. Zazie Beets continues to impress, cast perfectly as an inspirational soul. The entire cast is strong but it really is Duke's show and he delivers it.

The film does struggle with a premise that is a little too contrived. I felt I needed to let go of reason a bit to not get distracted with too many questions. The film is also paced very slowly, and while I like a film to take the time it needs to tell its story, here there were a lot of moments that lingered a little too long and lost some of it's power that way. The film likely would have been more powerful if it had been a more tightly constructed premise but the film overcomes most of its narrative flaws through its emotional punch. 

At the end you may not be any closer to understanding why life is filled with as much tragedy and suffering as it is, but perhaps there is some comfort in the journey together as explored in this film. 

Nine Days

Starring: Winston Duke, Benedict Wong, Zazie Beets, Bill Skarsgard, Tony Hale, Arianna Ortiz

Writer/Director: Edson Oda