Dillane just keeps amazing me as an actor. I rather enjoy his darker roles and wish he would do more of them.
Nine
Lives is a series of vignettes, each centering on a different female.
Although some are loosely connected, what fascinates me is how
their segments raise more questions than answers. It's as if we
just drop into their lives during some stressful event, an effect
that's enhanced by the voyeuristic camerawork. Using a
steady-cam in one
long take, the cameraman followed the actors around for up to 15
minutes at a time. Not an easy task when the equipment weighs 85 lbs,
but well worth the effort.
Some segments are better than others, but I particularly liked Robin Wright Penn, Glen Close, Sissy Spacek and especially Holly Hunter, who's in love with a anti-social jerk with an attitude named Martin, played to perfection by Dillane. We get this about him right off the bat, but his girlfriend Sonia has only an occasional moment of clarity. She's in denial or in love, maybe both. Or perhaps she's just needy or fucked up, I really don't know.
Some segments are better than others, but I particularly liked Robin Wright Penn, Glen Close, Sissy Spacek and especially Holly Hunter, who's in love with a anti-social jerk with an attitude named Martin, played to perfection by Dillane. We get this about him right off the bat, but his girlfriend Sonia has only an occasional moment of clarity. She's in denial or in love, maybe both. Or perhaps she's just needy or fucked up, I really don't know.
When
they arrive at her friend's swank new apartment building, Martin fumes
that they're kept waiting, telling Sonia that her friends just like to
fuck with them. "They're probably laughing at us right now."
He then questions Sonia about why they invited them over if they
haven't completely moved in yet. "Io'know, they jist
wonna show it to us." Holly answers, in her Texas twang. Kin I
jist say how much I love hearing a couple with different accents like theirs?
Molly Parker plays her concerned friend Lisa, who obviously doesn't like Martin either, but tries to for Sonia's sake.
Her man is Jason Isaac, and Ian McShane is in another segment as Sissy Spacek's husband.
Directed
by Rodrigo Garcia of "In Treatment", who seems to enjoy
experimenting with formats and slices of life, Nine Lives is packed with terrific actors and haunting performances.
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| "You look like a hood." Holly tells him | "Not good enough for you? Not the man you want for the father of your children?" |
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| "Don't start!" he tells the claustrophobic Sonia. "I'm not taking the fucking stairs!" | |
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| "You're really a prick to me sometimes." | "I know." LOL |
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