The Nines

The marketing around The Nines may well be emphasising the "big idea" secret, the "what's the answer?" hook and the "what are The Nines?" core question. I've read enough Science Fiction to know that I wasn't going to be surprised whatever the answer. Consequently I didn't worry about the mystery and was left to enjoy a very nice character based story.

If you want plot details, the official website sums up the film's three stories better than I could, so read that if you really can't stand going in cold. The characters in each story are played by the same actors, Ryan Reynolds plays Gary/Gavin/Gabriel, Hope Davis plays Sarah/Susan/Sierra and Melissa McCarthy plays Margaret/Melissa/Mary. All of whom are excellent, as is Elle Fanning. Shortly into the second story it's obvious that the characters sharing actors is not the only connection.

From the outset The Nines feels like an indie film. By an "indie film" I mean that it contains such devices as: jump cuts, slow-mo, twirling views, twisting shots, multiple parts (with captions telling you so), split screens, a small cast, at times a guerilla filming feel to it, and one of the characters bursts into song at one point. This may put some people off. I liked it.

Although the film has a "big idea" at its heart, it isn't the most original of ideas, and in some places doesn't even make sense. This is especially true of the first story, with its erratic style and pick-and-mix selection of suspense/thriller/horror hooks, most of which don't hold up under later scrutiny. However the core idea leads us, and the characters, to what I thought was a lovely payoff. The decision made by the main character at the end, and in fact before that, appeals to me. Maybe it's a touch sentimental, but I'm getting old and like that.

The big downside for me was the final visual reveal. Very cheesey and could have been lost without the film suffering.

The film left me feeling happy and that doesn't seem like something I've said about recent SF films. It's interesting and refreshing, and shows how Science Fiction ideas need not result in all smash-bang-wallop FX, but can result in genuine character based storytelling.