An excellent ensemble drama by writer-director Rodrigo Garcia.

| Jun 28, 2022

Nine Lives, zero truth

| Sep 1, 2009

Each woman has to turn herself inside out in continuous time. It has the demands of theatre and the intimacy of cinema.

| Jun 6, 2008

Loss is the common thread that binds the women in these nine snapshots that involve us in their intricate lives. Some stories work beautifully, while others are dull and hardly capture our interest

| Apr 26, 2008

The stories are sketches, often without resolution, and while individual segments succeed admirably, taken together the portraits are a fitful match.

| Original Score: B- | Oct 1, 2007

In the end, all of the pieces in Nine Lives fit together perfectly. If one story doesn't quite resonate for you, the next one likely will in this small but beautiful film.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 1, 2007

Kathy Baker deserves and Oscar nomination for juggling so many different feelings during her slow, reluctant acquiescence to the drugs that may likely save her life.

| Oct 1, 2007

| Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 21, 2006

Nine Lives had me tense, engaged, sometimes disgusted, sometimes moved, and always interested. Garcia is an ingenious and eloquent storyteller.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 27, 2006

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 12, 2006

A truly amazing film.

| Apr 27, 2006

It's as if we're randomly eavesdropping on the private concerns of one particular neighborhood ... a neighborhood that sure has its fair share of heartache.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 28, 2006

Nine Lives isn't a master work, but it's still a fascinating piece of filmmaking.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Mar 4, 2006

...a remarkably powerful little film.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Feb 23, 2006

You won't find ensemble acting much better or writing more incisive than that in Nine Lives ...

| Original Score: 4/4 | Jan 27, 2006

Certain characters and their particular pains become so engrossing in their 10-minute bits that it's sad to see them go.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jan 8, 2006

What saves Nine Lives is a first-rate cast, which includes Oscar-winning actresses Sissy Spacek and Holly Hunter.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jan 7, 2006

It's unclear why Garcia continues to choose to limit himself to these diluted portraits, rather than the layered and textured worlds that his writing and directing hint at.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Dec 31, 2005

But when a piece works, like Penn's, Garcia's film soars, the over-theatricality of the artifice forgotten amidst the brilliance showcased by the actors onscreen.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 31, 2005

If only every women's movie had Nine Lives' fire, intelligence, and conviction, they wouldn't have such a shaky reputation in the first place.

| Dec 31, 2005