72
Metascore
25 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91The PlaylistGregory EllwoodThe PlaylistGregory EllwoodNine Days is the sort of original cinematic art that, these days, is few and far between.
- 90Film ThreatLorry KiktaFilm ThreatLorry KiktaEdson Oda’s script is incredible. It asks so many philosophical questions without being preachy or pedantic. It successfully reminds us how precious all of our lives are, which is no small feat.
- 90VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeNine Days is that rare work of art that invites you to re-consider your entire worldview.
- 85Film ThreatAlan NgFilm ThreatAlan NgGreat science-fiction storytelling is not going to come from the big studios anymore. We will find it from new filmmakers with big ideas and very little money. But thankfully, big ideas attract big talent (then hopefully big money), and that’s what we have with Edson Oda’s Nine Days.
- 80Screen DailyAnthony KaufmanScreen DailyAnthony KaufmanAll in all, Nine Days is a stellar feature debut, with strong filmmaking, from its assured compositions to its superb dimly lit frames, where shafts of outside light or wall lamps illuminate slivers of the sets. And Winston Duke, who appears in just about every scene in the film, offers a complex portrait of a wounded man.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThe Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyFor all the film's intellectual pretensions, both good and bad, Duke's great gravitas and Beetz' spontaneity lift the film partway out of its quasi-spiritual morass; they provide a hint of the real, of a beating heart, even if the drama itself exists in a parched desert realm devoid of actual life.
- 67IndieWireEric KohnIndieWireEric KohnThere’s certainly enough here to provoke meaningful questions that transcend the boundaries of the frame, and Nine Days hits a commendable note about the value of embracing life’s unpredictable turns. But no matter its celestial implications, the movie can’t shake the impression of a brilliant concept that never takes flight.
- 67The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayMore often than not, it’s better when filmmakers have a point-of-view, a sense of style, and something to say—all of which is undeniably true of Oda. But Nine Days resonates at such a distinct frequency that some may find it hauntingly beautiful (and have found it so, ever since the film debuted at Sundance back in 2020) while others may find it much too blaring.
- 60The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyThe narrative conceits of Nine Days, while exquisitely constructed, are intricate to the point of laborious. At times the movie almost sinks under their weight.
- 50Slant MagazineWes GreeneSlant MagazineWes GreeneWriter-director Edson Oda never really puts a unique spin on the familiar story of otherworldly figures peering in on the lives of the living.