Nine Lives (2005)

75% of critics liked it
(84 reviews)
54% of users liked it
(21,037 ratings)

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… More 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. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 55 min.
Directed By: Rodrigo García
Written By: Rodrigo García
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Oct 14, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Feb 14, 2006
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

Critic Reviews

David Germain, Associated Press
The stories are sketches, often without resolution, and while individual segments succeed admirably, taken together the portraits are a fitful match.
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some parts are stronger than others, but as a fleshed-out artistic vision, Nine Lives works remarkably well.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Nine Lives is an elegant film of quick, tour-de-force acting turns, a simple actor's gesture that tells you more than four pages of dialogue, a movie that demands concentration but that rewards the viewer willing to pay attention.
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer
[Garcia] leaves you thinking deeply about these people. And leaves you wanting more.
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
Composed of nine short films, each starring some of the best female actors working, though many of them aren't working enough.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
The moments that Garcia has chosen to observe are unforgettable, the women -- played by an ensemble of actresses at the top of their respective games -- indelible.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Nine Lives, zero truth
Paul Byrnes, Sydney Morning Herald
Each woman has to turn herself inside out in continuous time. It has the demands of theatre and the intimacy of cinema.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
Loss is the common thread that binds the women in these nine snapshots that involve us in their intricate lives. Some stories work beautifully, while others are dull and hardly capture our interest
Paul Doro, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
In the end, all of the pieces in Nine Lives fit together perfectly. If one story doesn't quite resonate for you, the next one likely will in this small but beautiful film.
Todd Gilchrist, FilmStew.com
Kathy Baker deserves and Oscar nomination for juggling so many different feelings during her slow, reluctant acquiescence to the drugs that may likely save her life.
Carolyn Arends, Christianity Today
Nine Lives had me tense, engaged, sometimes disgusted, sometimes moved, and always interested. Garcia is an ingenious and eloquent storyteller.
Rory L. Aronsky, Film Threat
Don't wait too long for drama like this.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
A truly amazing film.
Scott Weinberg, DVD Clinic
It's as if we're randomly eavesdropping on the private concerns of one particular neighborhood ... a neighborhood that sure has its fair share of heartache.
James Plath, Reel.com
Although Nine Lives is imperfect, as you watch the extras and think about what Garcia attempted, the stories begin to resonate more . . . and you begin to appreciate the product almost as much as the process.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
Nine Lives isn't a master work, but it's still a fascinating piece of filmmaking.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...a remarkably powerful little film.
Robert W. Butler, Kansas City Star
You won't find ensemble acting much better or writing more incisive than that in Nine Lives ...
Kimberley Jones, Austin Chronicle
Certain characters and their particular pains become so engrossing in their 10-minute bits that it's sad to see them go.

Read all 20 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Saskia D

The concept is not original at all, that's probably why it has such a low average. If you've seen Crash and Magnolia and you liked it, than I don't see why you wouldn't like this one. Some good solid acting and 'drama for your mama'.
Leigh R

Couldn't keep my attention very well. Although, like most movies filmed this way... I like to watch how the stories intertwine.
Jennifer X

i'm a huge, huge fan of multiple storyline, vignette movies, and some of them have been executed really well - crash, paris je t'aime, amores perros (or anything alejandro gonzalez inarritu, to tell you the truth.). and so it's not that i don't like this style of… More
i'm a huge, huge fan of multiple storyline, vignette movies, and some of them have been executed really well - crash, paris je t'aime, amores perros (or anything alejandro gonzalez inarritu, to tell you the truth.). and so it's not that i don't like this style of moviemaking. it's just that this particular film's ideas were so half-baked, so underdeveloped, so cliche. i mean, the one story with the deaf guy and lorna was perhaps the only original one that truly captured me. some were well-acted but the story was very very poor. and the so-called "connections" are a joke. it's like...geographical proximity is the only thing they have in common. i like to have a parallel drawn between the stories, not some, "oh! i vaguely recognize this character. oh yes, i remember, from the last story! yay!" i mean, i get it, it's about 9 women's lives and their difficulties dealing with loss or love or whatever. it wasn't a bad idea for a movie and garcia did admirably under the circumstances but he really should've thought this through more.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]Written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia, "Nine Lives" is a collection of nine short films that serve as snapshots into the lives of nine women in southern California. All of the segments are shot with a handheld camera without any edits.[/font]… More
[font=Century Gothic]Written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia, "Nine Lives" is a collection of nine short films that serve as snapshots into the lives of nine women in southern California. All of the segments are shot with a handheld camera without any edits.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]1. Sandra(Elpida Carrillo) is an inmate in a jail.[/font] [font=Century Gothic]2. Diana(Robin Wright Penn) is very pregnant when she runs into an old flame, Damien(Jason Isaacs), in a supermarket.[/font] [font=Century Gothic]3. Holly(Lisa Gay Hamilton) returns home to make up with her dad.[/font] [font=Century Gothic]4. Sonia(Holly Hunter) visits a friend's swanky apartment with her husband.[/font] [font=Century Gothic]5. Samantha(Amanda Seyfried) is a teenager who is deciding whether to go away to college or stay home to take care of her invalid father(Ian McShane).[/font] [font=Century Gothic]6. Lorna(Amy Brenneman) attends the funeral of the wife of her ex-husband, Andrew(William Fichtner).[/font] [font=Century Gothic]7. Ruth(Sissy Spacek) is at a motel for a tryst with another man(Aidan Quinn).[/font] [font=Century Gothic]8. Camille(Kathy Baker) has breast cancer and is in the hospital for an operation.[/font] [font=Century Gothic]9. Maggie(Glenn Close) visits a cemetary with her daughter, Maria(Dakota Fanning).[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Nine Lives" is an interesting experiment but it is not an entirely successful one. There really are no overall themes and while some of the stories do connect with each other; it is done in such a half-hearted matter as to be totally ineffective. The movie does provide some insight into the lives of these women but it would have been improved with a more diverse group of characters. The cast is great but I think a better decision would have been to go with less name actors in the cast. Of the large cast, Robin Wright Penn and William Fichtner especially stand out. [/font]
William G

The pieces come across as rather flat theatrical scenarios, more fit for a playhouse than a big screen.
Joey N

Women are amazing. lol I liked this more than I thought I would. It's 9 short, approx. 10 min films about moments in the lives of 9 women. Some are better than others. The ones that stood out to me: Robin Right (sp?) Penn running into a former lover at a supermarket, Sissy… More
Women are amazing. lol I liked this more than I thought I would. It's 9 short, approx. 10 min films about moments in the lives of 9 women. Some are better than others. The ones that stood out to me: Robin Right (sp?) Penn running into a former lover at a supermarket, Sissy Spasek contimplating an affair, Lisa Gay Hamilton working up the nerve to confront her father on his child abuse. Also, there's a quietly sad Holly Hunter trapped in a relationship with a jerk, Amy Brenerman attending her ex husband's wife's funeral, and Kathy Baker about to have a mysectomy. (obviously sp.) The three least compelling: Glen Close and Dakota Fanning visiting a cemetary, some actress at prison, and the dumb girl from Mean Girls talking to her parents. They all add to the film, but they were the least interesting for me. Also, all films are one continuous shot.
Lovable M

Blah
Sunil J

Another really strong Rodrigo Garcia movie that explores the complexity of women.