Nine Lives

2005 Drama

Filmmaker Rodrigo García takes an unusual look into the lives of nine different women in this episodic drama. Each of the film's nine sequences has been staged as a single shot, using the Steadicam system to allow the camera to follow the action fluidly and without cuts. In these short episodes (lasting between ten and 14 minutes), Holly (Lisa Gay Hamilton) has a brief moment of reverie while confronting the specters of her past in her old neighborhood. Maggie (Glenn Close) escorts her young daughter Maria (Dakota Fanning) to a cemetery as they visit the graves of their family members. Ruth (Sissy Spacek) is a married woman contemplating an affair while visiting Henry (Aidan Quinn) in his hotel room. Diana (Robin Wright Penn) unexpectedly runs into an old boyfriend, Damian (Jason Isaacs), while shopping for groceries. Camilla (Kathy Baker) is a hospital patient awaiting surgery for cancer. Samantha (Amanda Seyfried) is a teenage girl who helps look after her handicapped father Larry (Ian McShane). Sandra (Elpidia Carrillo) is a female prison inmate who is expecting a visit from her children. Sonia (Holly Hunter) lashes out at her boyfriend Martin (Stephen Dillane) when she finds out he's been cheating on her. And Lorna (Amy Brenneman) has an unexpectedly moving encounter with her ex-husband Andrew (William Fichtner) as she pays her respects to his second wife, who has just passed away. Nine Lives premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. more..

Director: Rodrigo García

Starring: Glenn Close, Robin Wright Penn, Holly Hunter, Sissy Spacek, Kathy Baker

Reviews

  • What could have been a parlor game becomes a surprisingly rich sketchbook, boosted by the work of fine actors.

    Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly

    26 April 2013

  • A bold film both in its storytelling strategies and its filmmaking logistics.

    Kirk Honeycutt - The Hollywood Reporter

    26 April 2013

  • A movie like this, with the appearance of new characters and situations, focuses us; we watch more intently, because it is important what happens.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    26 April 2013

  • A disturbingly frank look at people and relationships in contemporary Los Angeles and a thrilling dramatic showcase for a brilliant cast.

    Michael Wilmington - The Chicago Tribune

    26 April 2013

  • An emotionally satisfying example of a genre whose sketchiness can be off-putting.

    Ruthe Stein - The San Francisco Chronicle

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

    ALMA Awards (2006)

  • Best Director

    Bogota Film Festival (2005)

  • Best Independent Feature Film Casting

    Casting Society of America (2006)

     
  • Best Supporting Actress

    Chlotrudis Awards (2006)

     
  • Kathy Baker

    Gotham Awards (2005)