NINE LIVES
US, 2004, 112 minutes, Colour.
Kathy Baker, Amy Brennerman, Elpidia Carrillo, Glenn Close, Lisa Gaye Hamilton, Holly Hunter, Sissy Spacek, Amanda Seyfried, Robyn Wright Penn, Miguel Andoval, Jason Isaacs, Stephen Delane, Molly Parker, Ian Mc Shane, Mary K. Place, Aidan Quinn, Joe Mantegna, Dakota Fanning.
Directed by Rodrigo Garcia.
In 2001, Rodrigo Garcia’s previous film, Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her, played the festival circuit. It was an anthology of five stories about women and relationships, with some connection between them. It had a particularly strong cast of women: Glenn Close, Cameron Diaz, Holly Hunter, Kathy Baker and Callista Flockhart. Nine Lives is much more ambitious – and Garcia was rewarded by winning the Golden Leopard for Best Film and his cast won the Best Actress award as an ensemble at the 2005 Locarno Film Festival.
The Nine Lives we see are much more interconnected than in his previous film, sometimes unexpectedly and pleasingly so. Each of the nine lives has a chapter heading focussing on one of the women and providing them with an opportunity for a tour-de-force performance. Each of the segments is around ten minutes. One of them is a one take piece in a supermarket.
The backgrounds of the women are quite different moving from a prison to an affluent apartment building. The final segment is set at a graveside. This gives Garcia the opportunity to range through so many facets of women’s lives: imprisonment, marriage, adultery, parental abuse, adolescent changes, friendship, pregnancy and abortion, suicide, moral choices, cancer, nursing, death and grief.
The cinematic style varies from story to story and keeps audiences alert and interested. It should be added that there is a strong male cast as well as the award-winning women. It includes Aidan Quinn, Stephen Dillane, Joe Mantegna, Miguel Sandoval, William Fichtner, Jason Isaacs and Ian Mc Shane.
The nine women are worth acknowledging: Elpidia Carillo as the prisoner, Robin Penn Wright surprisingly strong in the supermarket scene, Lisa Gaye Hamilton in conflict with her stepfather, Holly Hunter as a socialite, Amy Brenneman as a divorcee, Amanda Seyfried as the teenager trying to bring her parents together, Sissy Spacek as her mother, Kathy Baker as a woman angry at the cancer she is suffering from and Glenn Close (with Dakota Fanning) in the cemetery sequence. They are all very good indeed, Kathy Baker excelling in her rage, Glenn Close excelling in her quiet grief.
Garcia has a literary bent, not surprising when his father is novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Garcia who has worked in Hollywood as a cinematographer and writer as well as directing for television, comments ‘I’m always interested in characters who are trapped, in a rut, can’t grow… That kind of story pushes me to write scripts with lots of little stories… So, I had the idea of spending ten, twelve, fourteen minutes in the life of a woman. I know this taxes the audience because I am asking them to invest in a character time and time again and then move on…I like to choose a moment in life that sums up a situation.’
1. The impact of the film, nine snapshots, each with value in itself, each in its jigsaw of the whole?
2. Nine women, the comment on the cat having nine lives or not? Women’s lives, the meanings in women’s lives? Women facing transitions?
3. Each story standing alone, the character links, the thematic links, the talk about the nature of links and intercommunication, degrees of separation?
4. The Los Angeles settings, the variety, class, wealth? The musical score?
5. The range of women, a pregnant woman, a prisoner, women and children, marriage, relationships and breakdown, illness, grieving, death?
6. Sandra’s story: the setting of the prison, the guards and their callous attitudes, fellow prisoners and their attacks on Sandra, the warden and his interrogation? Her giving him information, her work in the kitchen, mopping the floors? The visit of her daughter, the difficulties in getting to her daughter with obstructing guards, the phone not working, her breaking out in anger, talking with the old woman prisoner and abusing her, getting control of herself, loss of control? The later story of her escape, in the motel, her being caught, the motel woman talking about Sandra’s comments on stars and fate?
7. Diana’s story: one take, the realism of the supermarket, her pregnancy, the chance meeting with Damian, the memories of the past, their talk, the hurt of the past, the five years of separation, events ten years earlier? Their respective marriages, the mention of Lorna giving information? Her continuing her shopping, going back to Damian, his accompanying her? His being sterile? His saying that he thought of her all the time, her emotional reaction? Leaving him, continuing the shopping – and then going out of the supermarket door?
8. Holly’s story: Holly and her being so demanding, arriving, forcing her opinions on her sister, forcing her to telephone their father, her moodiness? The back-story, her relationship to her sister, being like a mother to her, going out into the garden, sitting on the swing? Her anger, the father’s arrival, her gun, suicidal, the story of her father and his relationships? The irony that he was the warder in the prison? Holly’s later reappearance in the hospital, competently doing her work, Camille not liking her?
9. Sonia’s story: Sonia and Martin, wealth and class, arriving at the apartment block, the visit, waiting, Sonia being edgy, claustrophobic in the elevator? Friendship with Damian and his wife? The touch of jealousy, the tour of the apartment, the chatter, the talk about their fight and not turning up the week before, Sonia blurting it out, Martin’s anger? Martin talking about the pregnancy, unwanted, the changes of mind, the abortion? Sonia’s anger and pushing the glass over? The different glimpse of Damian, his wife? His wife appearing in Lorna’s story at the funeral?
10. Samantha’s story: her age, her studies, her father in the wheelchair, talking with him, helping him with the crosswords? His asking about her mother? Her mother, doing the housework, ironing, saying how tired she was, asking about her husband? Their not communicating directly with each other? The possibility of her going away to study, her staying? Shutting the door – but then opening it again, the link between mother and father? The compassion for the father and his disability?
11. Ruth’s story: seeing her with Mr Stanton, her comments about Mr Stanton and his being Samantha’s adviser? The surprise that she was having the affair with Mr Stanton? Knowledge of her from Samantha’s story? The motel, their walking, talk about the whisky? Seeing the police, Sandra and her her arrest, Ruth going to the room, finding the shoe, talking to the motel attendant? Her going back to the room, the party cap, the phone call to Samantha, her decision to leave and go home?
12. Lorna’s story: with her parents, getting ready to go to the funeral, Andrew’s wife and her suicide, her comment that women didn't commit suicide? Her own relationships, the break-up with Andrew, the divorce? Arrival at the funeral, meeting Rebecca and her harsh words, Damian’s wife and her comments? Lorna being blamed? Meeting Andrew, his being deaf, sign language, attempts to speak? His grief? Sitting with her parents, the comment and their giggling? Her going out, Andrew following her, his declaration of love, talk about sexuality, their sexual experience? The later appearance of her mother as the doctor tending Camille?
13. Camille and her story: her illness, the breast cancer, in the hospital, talking with her husband, complaining to him, the outbursts, Holly looking after her, her dislike of Holly and her treatment, the doctor coming in and talking, her criticism of the hospital, giving her the sedative, her calming down, her change of attitude, concern about her daughter, death? The patience of her husband?
14. Maggie’s story: Maggie and Maria walking in the cemetery, their easy talk together, Maggie seeming an older mother, the annual visit to the cemetery, the picnic, Maria and the grapes, her wanting to pee, playing games with her mother, going up the tree? The discussion about growing old? Love? Maria disappearing? The audience realising that it was Maria’s grave, Maggie grieving? Her going from the cemetery?
15. The overall impact after seeing these different vignettes, understanding these different characters, their facing their transitions? A satisfyingly emotional experience?
