Initially released at the Sundance Film Festival of 2020, Edson Oda’s directorial debut feature Nine Days was the recipient of a screenwriting award, following rave reviews from critics who applauded the film’s originality and thematic depth. A successful delivery of some of the most puzzling existential questions, Oda’s film invites viewers on a philosophical journey that navigates the meaning of life and whether it is worth living. As ambitious as it is in its premise, the film’s portrayal of the themes of endurance and resilience intrinsic to the human experience surprisingly maintains a character that is relatable to every audience member.

Set in a remote house in the middle of a desert landscape, souls compete for the rare opportunity to be born into the real world. In charge of overseeing this process is Will, played by Duke Winston, an arbiter of the “beforelife.” Throughout the course of nine days, Will’s job is to interview these souls and determine which one of them is best fit to have a chance at life. If selected, the “winner” is born and becomes a part of the human world; any memories prior to that are wiped from their brain. Those not fortunate enough to survive the nine days quickly dissappear into nothingness. After the sudden death of one of Will’s selected individuals, the interview process is restarted, with a new batch of five souls arriving at his house, unaware of the grueling process they are about to undergo in the pursuit of life.

The Complexities of Life

At the beginning of the film, Winston quickly establishes the nature of his character who, though stern, is at his core a truly caring person, deeply invested in the people he sends to the real world. This is a sharp contrast to the persona he puts on as a sort of celestial bureaucrat, confronting the souls with questions so morally charged even living people would find them hard to answer. The viewers soon learn the reason for this behavior is the sudden death by suicide of one of Will’s selected individuals, Amanda. Questioning what signs he missed and whether he made the right choice, Will develops a highly pessimistic view of life and the hardships that come with it. When he says to Kyo, his supervisor, “I send flowers and other people send pigs to eat them,” his disappointment with the world and the people in it becomes undeniable. As a result, Will is hellbent on picking a soul equally as cynical, which he relates to being strong enough to survive life.

Kyo, along with Emma, one of the souls being interviewed, represent the antithesis of Will. Though neither of them has had a chance to experience the real world the way Will has, they are not defeated by the evil they see in it; instead, they see it as an even bigger reason to enjoy and focus onthe good parts, however finite they are. The debate is never settled as the answer to what the purpose of life is and whether it is worth it is not explicitly given in the film and is rather left to the viewers’ interpretation. Nevertheless, Oda’s bigger message to the audience seems to be that, unlike the characters in the film, they are already alive and with that comes a choice: they can surrender in the face of all the darkness in the world, or they can choose to enjoy life in spite of it. To that end, the movie serves as a refresher, reminding people of the pleasurable moments that surround them and encouraging them to keep going through thick and thin.

The Human Experience on Screen

Oda’s storytelling choices and cinematography play a big part in showcasing the blissful experiences of life. His ability to capture the nuances of existence, from the most profound to the seemingly mundane, adds a layer of authenticity to the film. While at times the movie’s script and scenes may be overflowing with sentimentalism, every frame is a deliberate choice from the director to amplify the emotional resonance of the movie and evoke a feeling of catharsis as it builds up to the end. The most important parts of the film that achieve this goal are the scenes in which souls, who are not selected to be born, are granted a final wish by Will. They can choose one human experience which they wish to live, and Will will recreate it. A purposeful move by Oda is to have the souls pick relatively common moments, such as riding a bike, to highlight the beauty within them, which can be so easily taken for granted when experienced every day.

What is particularly interesting about these scenes and the entire film is Oda’s unique choice to have the sets and cuts of the movie look somewhat rough and amateur-like instead of realistic. In an interview with Observer, the director explained the thought process behind this decision to be motivated by his wish to keep the movie relatable and about the people in it, not its editing or special effects. Though the sets look simple and minimalistic, it is the actors and their performances that bring the characters to life. A person feeling the breeze of an afternoon, another listening to the waves of a beach; it is their appreciation and longing for these moments, even if artificially created, that manage to bring viewers to tears.

With the rise in popularity of philosophical movies and their existentialist themes, such as Soul or Barbie, Nine Days becomes a mustwatch film. Though filmed in only a month, the movie went above and beyond critics’ expectations as a remarkable cinematic journey that transcends conventional storytelling. Switching it up from the often-used storyline of the afterlife, Oda provides a new lens through which to explore the complexities of life. His unique narrative, both simple and surreal all at once, prompts the audience to ponder the meaning of existence, and the value that lies within it.

Film Information

Release Date: August 6, 2021

Director: Edson Oda

Cast: Winston Duke, Benedict Wong, Zazie Beetz, Bill Skarsgard

Running Time: 124 minutes

Genre: Drama, Fantasy

Streaming Platform: Apple TV, YouTube