What if you were given a chance to do it all over again, but from a place of privilege you weren’t given before? That’s the premise of the recently released trailer from Sony Pictures Classics for the debut feature film from Edson Oda, Nine Days. The film stars Winston Duke (Us) with Zazie Beetz (Atlanta, Joker).
Despite Duke’s character Will’s proclamation of “If you’re selected, you’ll have the chance to be born in a fruitful environment, where you can grow, develop and accomplish,” the film is about much more than receiving a second chance at life.
In the film, Will (Winston Duke), spends his days in a remote outpost watching the live Point of View (POV) on TV’s of people going about their lives, until one subject perishes, leaving a vacancy for a new life on earth. Soon, several candidates — unborn souls — arrive at Will’s to undergo tests determining their fitness, facing oblivion when they are deemed unsuitable. But Will soon faces his own existential challenge in the form of free-spirited Emma (Zazie Beetz), a candidate who is not like the others, forcing him to turn within and reckon with his own tumultuous past. Fueled by unexpected power, he discovers a bold new path forward in his own life. Making his feature-film debut after a series of highly acclaimed and award-winning short films and music videos, Brazilian-born writer-director Edson Oda delivers a heartfelt and meditative vision of human souls in limbo, aching to be born against unimaginable odds, yet hindered by forces beyond their will…
The film, that made its debut at this years Sundance Film Festival, also stars Benedict Wong as Kyo, David Rysdahl as Mike, Arianna Ortiz as Maria, Tony Hale as Alexander, Bill Skarsgård as Kane, Perry Smith as Anne, and Geraldine Hughes as Colleen.
“Nine Days is a convergence of everything I was going through in my life up
until now,” says the Japanese Brazilian writer/director, who transitioned to
feature filmmaking following a run of acclaimed short films, music videos
and commercials. “This story comes from the mindset of moving from childhood to adulthood, losing a family member, quitting my job, leaving my home and coming to America to make movies, learning to be alone in a new country, and going through yet more struggles.”
The script, which is penned by Oda, springs directly from his personal traumatic experience when his uncle committed suicide when the filmmaker was only 12
years old, deeply affecting the director and his loved ones.
“Nine Days grabbed us in a whole new way,” says Mette-Marie Kongsved of Nowhere Productions , who began her career producing music videos. “It’s meditative, philosophical, and universal in the way it speaks to what it’s like to be human, and the questions we all have about life before life regardless of where we come from. Edson beautifully and eloquently asks us to come along on a journey without providing definite answers to the many questions the story poses.”
Nine Days comes from Juniper Productions, Mandalay Productions, Nowhere Productions, Macro Media Productions, The Space Program Productions In association with Mansa Productions, Oak Street Pictures, 30West, Baked Studios, and Datari Turner Productions. The film is produced by Jason Michael Berman (Mandalay Pictures), Mette-Marie Kongsved, Matthew Lindner, Laura Tunstall (Nowhere Productions), and Datari Turner. Amongst the executive producers are Duke, Charles D. King, Spike Jonze, Yandy Smith, Kim Roth and more.
Scroll to the top to view the trailer for Nine Days.
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