THE NINES (2007; video release 2012)
Directed and written
by John August
Destination Films,
100 minutes, R (language)
* * *
The concept of the great chain of being is Platonic in
origin, but proved so attractive that it became a basis of Christian ontology.
In its simplest form, the great chain of being divides all things into an
ascending hierarchy. Religions generally place God outside of the reality
pyramid and humans at the top of the created order. John August’s clever film–recently
released on DVD–begins with perplexing premises. What if the great chain is
wrong? What if God is a ten and humans a mere seven on the creation scale? What
if there are some nines floating about the world, beings with the power to
create, manipulate, and destroy? What if one of them suffers from supernatural
amnesia and doesn’t realize the games he’s been playing? And what if the best
we sevens–I won’t spoil the identity of the eights–can aspire to is a Candide-like hope that all things will
turn out for the best in this best of all possible worlds?
The Nines uses the
theme of “knowing” to probe the various scenarios a nine could unleash. The
film takes place in three acts, “The Prisoner,” “Reality Television,” and
“Knowing,” with Ryan Reynolds the lead actor in each scenario (and several
minor roles as well). He plays, variously, a famous but psychologically unhinged
actor that has run afoul of the law (think Robert Downey Jr.); an ambitious TV
script writer trying to get his show produced; and an ordinary family man who
designs video games. Each act is a triad between Reynolds, Melissa McCarthy,
and Hope Davis, with McCarthy variously serving as Reynolds’ agent, best
friend, and wife; and Davis as temptress, Machiavellian nemesis, and guide.
Elle Fanning also appears in each act, twice as a mysterious mute and once as
Reynolds’ daughter. You’ll also see personalities such as Octavia Spencer,
Dahlia Salem, David Denman, and Ben Falcone in cameos.
The central dilemma of the film is whether Reynolds will
become aware that he has, in essence, become the lead player in his own video
game. It’s a relentlessly weird film that falls through the genre cracks–it’s
part psychological drama, part science fiction, part tongue-in-cheek spoof of
belief systems, part mystery, and part rom-com, yet it’s none of these. It
mainly plays like one of those odd Neil Gaiman stories where Olympian gods live
in the world and hold down ordinary jobs. The film certainly challenges viewers
and did next to nothing at the box office–just $63,000 in the U.S. market and
only $131,000 worldwide. I guess audiences don’t want to pay for ambiguity, but
I found it a fascinating way to spend a hundred minutes. Who are the nines? Are
they angels and demons, Olympian gods, the Greek Demiurge, or something like Star Trek’s Q-Continuum? You take a look
and get back to me!
Rob Weir
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