An excellent ensemble drama by writer-director Rodrigo Garcia.

| Jun 28, 2022

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

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

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

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

Some parts are stronger than others, but as a fleshed-out artistic vision, Nine Lives works remarkably well.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Dec 31, 2005

[Garcia] leaves you thinking deeply about these people. And leaves you wanting more.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Nov 4, 2005

Composed of nine short films, each starring some of the best female actors working, though many of them aren't working enough.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Nov 4, 2005

The moments that Garcia has chosen to observe are unforgettable, the women -- played by an ensemble of actresses at the top of their respective games -- indelible.

| Nov 3, 2005

A disturbingly frank look at people and relationships in contemporary Los Angeles and a thrilling dramatic showcase for a brilliant cast.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Oct 29, 2005

As delicately and precisely constructed as a spider's web, Nine Lives is a quiet triumph.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Oct 28, 2005

It feels like real life, in nine acts.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 28, 2005

The cast steps up, embracing the chance to exercise acting chops normally limited to live theater. Most do so resoundingly, but two stand out: Robin Wright Penn and Jason Isaacs.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 28, 2005

Not all of Nine Lives clicks, but at its best it finds an inarticulate sisterly solace that makes you want to see what this director could do with one life per film.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 28, 2005

The greatest short story writers, like William Trevor and Alice Munro, can awe us; their stories are short but not small. Here Rodrigo Garcia does the same thing.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Oct 27, 2005

The cumulative effect of the rigorously controlled and purposive camera style adds up in the end to a collective portrait of womankind that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Full Review | Oct 27, 2005

I thought this was a great film.

Full Review | Oct 24, 2005

A sophisticated, elegant-looking film shot in distinctive, wide-ranging L.A. locales, but its real terrain is the human heart, explored with compassion and respect.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 14, 2005