"Nine Lives" is composed of a series of nine short stories that focus on the female condition. With an average of 11 or 12 minutes per segment shot in one continuous take, there is no time for resolution (except perhaps for the last story that occurs in a cemetery). Rather, the narratives demonstrate emotional conflicts in the lives of women who are unable to escape their circumstances. As each story stands on its own, an advantage is that the movie is easy to watch. There is neither a plot to ascertain nor any character progression; it is not difficult to understand the situations. But we do not always know where these women are going.
The first vignette ("Sandra") features an incarcerated Hispanic-American woman (Elpidia Carrillo) who spends much of her screen time washing a prison floor. It is obvious that her emotional state – really her temper – has gotten her into trouble with the law. The second segment ("Diana") concerns a pregnant woman (Robin Wright Penn) who meets an old flame in a supermarket. The third part ("Holly") presents a distraught African-American woman (LisaGay Hamilton), acting most erratically, who has obviously been traumatized. Apparently she was sexually abused; she may have an unwelcome present for her father. The fourth episode ("Sonia") involves a woman (Holly Hunter) and her lover who blab confidential information to their two friends. The fifth vignette concerns "Samantha," a mature and sweet teenager (Amanda Seyfried) who acts as a peacemaker between her bickering parents. But her wings are indeed clipped.
Next is "Lorna," a piece that involves a mute man who wants to have sexual intercourse with his ex-wife at the wake of his second spouse. She (Amy Brenneman) does not protest too much. Number seven ("Ruth") involves a married middle-aged woman contemplating a tryst with a man at a hotel. The penultimate episode is about "Camille," an angry woman (Kathy Baker) who upbraids her loving husband while she awaits her mastectomy at a hospital. Believe me, her sedative comes none too soon. The husband (Joe Mantegna) has the patience of a saint. The final part, the best one, concerns a bereaved and aging woman "Maggie" (Glenn Close) and daughter Maria (Dakota Fanning) who have a picnic at a cemetery. The little girl's lunch consists of exactly one bite of a sandwich and a single grape. And Maggie's use of an obscenity in front of a child and Maria's non-reaction is a dead giveaway (no pun intended). The story's conclusion is obvious but this writer will not reveal it here. By the way, Dakota Fanning, who was 11 years old in 2005, looks no older than eight or nine. This observation implies this last vignette had to have been filmed a few years earlier.
Some folks, like Sissy Spacek, appear in two episodes that may be connected (parts five and seven). Spacek is a fine actress. Sidney Poitier's daughter Sydney (Vanessa in "Holly"), who looks just like him, is very attractive. Amanda Seyfried is certainly one of the planet's beautiful people; she began her silver screen career in "Mean Girls." The artistic performances are fine in "Nine Lives," and so much emotion is demonstrated. A way of brief description is "so much feeling in such a tight space." But as the vignette endings are ambiguous, traditionalists who like long features with resolutions may not appreciate this one.
The first vignette ("Sandra") features an incarcerated Hispanic-American woman (Elpidia Carrillo) who spends much of her screen time washing a prison floor. It is obvious that her emotional state – really her temper – has gotten her into trouble with the law. The second segment ("Diana") concerns a pregnant woman (Robin Wright Penn) who meets an old flame in a supermarket. The third part ("Holly") presents a distraught African-American woman (LisaGay Hamilton), acting most erratically, who has obviously been traumatized. Apparently she was sexually abused; she may have an unwelcome present for her father. The fourth episode ("Sonia") involves a woman (Holly Hunter) and her lover who blab confidential information to their two friends. The fifth vignette concerns "Samantha," a mature and sweet teenager (Amanda Seyfried) who acts as a peacemaker between her bickering parents. But her wings are indeed clipped.
Next is "Lorna," a piece that involves a mute man who wants to have sexual intercourse with his ex-wife at the wake of his second spouse. She (Amy Brenneman) does not protest too much. Number seven ("Ruth") involves a married middle-aged woman contemplating a tryst with a man at a hotel. The penultimate episode is about "Camille," an angry woman (Kathy Baker) who upbraids her loving husband while she awaits her mastectomy at a hospital. Believe me, her sedative comes none too soon. The husband (Joe Mantegna) has the patience of a saint. The final part, the best one, concerns a bereaved and aging woman "Maggie" (Glenn Close) and daughter Maria (Dakota Fanning) who have a picnic at a cemetery. The little girl's lunch consists of exactly one bite of a sandwich and a single grape. And Maggie's use of an obscenity in front of a child and Maria's non-reaction is a dead giveaway (no pun intended). The story's conclusion is obvious but this writer will not reveal it here. By the way, Dakota Fanning, who was 11 years old in 2005, looks no older than eight or nine. This observation implies this last vignette had to have been filmed a few years earlier.
Some folks, like Sissy Spacek, appear in two episodes that may be connected (parts five and seven). Spacek is a fine actress. Sidney Poitier's daughter Sydney (Vanessa in "Holly"), who looks just like him, is very attractive. Amanda Seyfried is certainly one of the planet's beautiful people; she began her silver screen career in "Mean Girls." The artistic performances are fine in "Nine Lives," and so much emotion is demonstrated. A way of brief description is "so much feeling in such a tight space." But as the vignette endings are ambiguous, traditionalists who like long features with resolutions may not appreciate this one.