Nine Lives (2005)

Director:

Rodrigo García

Writer (WGA):

Rodrigo García (written by)

Release Date:

2 September 2005 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Every life has a story. And every story has a life of its own.

Plot:

Captives of the very relationships that define and sustain them, nine women resiliently meet the travails and disappointments of life. |

Plot Keywords:

Inmate | Fantasy Sequence | Extramarital Affair | Prison | Mother

Awards:

9 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Elpidia Carrillo	...	Sandra
Aomawa Baker	...	Female Guard
Miguel Sandoval	...	Deputy Sheriff Ron
Mary Pat Dowhy	...	Nicole
Andy Umberger	...	Second Male Guard
K Callan	...	Marisa
Chelsea Rendon	...	Sandra's Daughter
Robin Wright Penn	...	Diana
Jason Isaacs	...	Damian
Sydney Tamiia Poitier	...	Vanessa
Lisa Gay Hamilton	...	Holly
Holly Hunter	...	Sonia
Stephen Dillane	...	Martin
Daniel Edward Mora	...	Receptionist
Molly Parker	...	Lisa

MPAA:

Rated R for language, brief sexual content and some disturbing images.

Runtime:

USA:115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | American Sign Language

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:MA | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-11 | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Mockingbird Pictures

Trivia:

While the film was largely overlooked by moviegoers, critical reaction was generally favorable and both Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper included it on the year end top 10 lists.

Quotes:

Maria: Who waters the lawn here?
Maggie: There are sprinklers on timers.
Maria: So nobody sees it, because they're all on timers and everybody's dead.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 2006 Independent Spirit Awards (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Freedom

Amazingly accurate and moving film

I too saw this film at the Sundance Film Festival and was very, very happy with it. It's simply vignettes of nine women's lives (with intercepting characters and mutual acquaintances), the people in their lives and more importantly the relationships in their lives. They're sad and sometimes not so sad, examples of the walls we build around ourselves in our relationships and how we feel bound to people or stuck in situations that we can't escape. It's very well made, with each women's vignette composed of one long 10-12 minute scene (no cuts). The dialogue is completely natural as are the actor's portrayal's of their characters, and the characters seem so real-life, so believably everyday. I couldn't say which story I enjoyed the most, but Robin Wright Penn and Jason Isaac's scene and relationship was especially poignant for me and I thought, amazingly acted. Overall this movie is great and I would recommend it to anyone who is a student of human nature or just in need of a moving film.