The great thing with independent cinema is intelligent, interesting films get made that the studios won’t touch because they don’t fit into their idea of what will sell to the public. As screenwriter and author William Goldman says, “In Hollywood no one knows anything”, which is evident by the number of indy films that have caught the imagination of the cinema-going public and returned a hefty profit to the filmmakers that, in terms of percentage of production costs, the studios can only dream of. What exactly constitutes an indie film is a matter of debate. The big studios (majors) have their own “indy” studios (mini-majors) attached to them. Making a truly independent film is a matter of self-funding, under which definition Mel Gibson’s films are truly independent but have plenty money attached to them. But whatever the definition if the film is bigger on ideas than it is on special effects and ‘star’ power you can be pretty sure it is an indie.
THE NINES is the feature directorial debut for screenwriter John August, whose previous writing work includes GO, TITAN AE (with Joss Whedon) and three Tim Burton films – BIG FISH, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and CORPSE BRIDE. His new film could best be described as a triptych, being made of three separate but interconnecting stories that question our perception of reality and our place in the universe. While this all sounds very deep and meaningful the stories are based around the writer/directors own experiences in that superficial world of Hollywood. What makes the stories even more fascinating is the three main roles in each story are played by the same three actors (Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davies and Melissa McCarthy) which gives the film its real impact at the final pay off.
Ryan Reynolds’ characters are all media-types (a disgraced TV actor, a TV screenwriter and a videogame developer) who are all led to questioning their place in the world and the relationships between creator and creation. While the film does require you to bring your brain with you to the cinema and keep it engaged throughout the film, it is not some cerebral arthouse flick, but is, in fact, a very funny and entertaining film that is full of surprises and visual clues that really require a second viewing to fully catch and appreciate, much like those in HEROES.
To me, it is similar to EXISTENZ, but without all the weird Cronenberg imagery. Although EXISTENZ is set within one narrative that contains separate virtual realities, THE NINES takes three separate stories that pose the same questions about which reality is the true one.
While this might all sound a bit confusing I don’t want to give too much away about the stories. Suffice to say, if you like to be both entertained and mentally stimulated at the same time then definitely check out THE NINES. It is on a limited national release from 30 November, so see it soon.