Limbo. A place or state of oblivion, where uncertainty prevails and questions are left unanswered. While most of us associate limbo with the afterlife, Zazie Beetz's new existential film, Nine Days flips the narrative, focussing on the souls of the unborn rather than the dead.
Making its debut at this year's Sundance Festival back in February, Nine Days marks Japanese-Brazilian director, Edson Oda's first project in the way of feature-films, exploring ideas of purgatory, the afterlife, and the fate of unborn souls through a fantasy-esque lens. Executive-produced by Spike Jonze, the film features an impressive cast including Jokers' Zazie Beetz, Winston Duke, Bill Skarsgård, Winston Duke, Benedict Wong, and Tony Hale.
Will, portrayed by Duke spends his days watching the world go by through the live Point of View (POV), from a remote outpost in a barren wasteland. This voyeurism serves a purpose, of course – keeping tabs on the human's he monitors until one of them perishes, leaving vacancy for a new life on earth.
Watch the trailer for Nine Days below.
The process of selecting that soul reads similarly (and oddly), like an extended job interview – that in total, lasts nine days. Before long, several candidates – unborn souls – appear at Will's front door, in preparation of a series of tests to determine their fitness for the covetable role of being born on earth. The alternative; oblivion.
While Will's process of selecting souls in the past has remained fairly streamlined, the free-spirited Emma (Beetz) forces him into his own existential challenge. Unlike the other candidates, Emma's aspirational approach and willingness to challenge Will's many faulty assumptions on life pushes him to turn within and reckon with his own tumultuous past.
Paired with incredible cinematography and an evocative score, Nine Days is a heartfelt and meditative vision of human souls in limbo, aching to be born against unimaginable odds.
The film will premiere in selected cinemas nationally on January 28, 2021.
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