Nine lives, which isn't exactly true. There are definitely more than nine lives in this movie, but you could also choose to think of the title a bit differently. Like, they say a cat has nine lives, meaning that you can try and kill it, but its nearly impossible, it will just keep coming back. It is sorta the same thing with the nine women of this movie. They have all endured hardship in their lives, but they are impossible to kill (not that anyone is trying, except maybe one of the women themselves).
To break down the plot of this movie is not easily done. It is about people, it is about relationship, love, hatred, betrayal and so many other things, but ultimately, it is about life... and death. When the movie was done, it returned to the main screen of the dvd menu, and something caught my eyes. There were two animals in the picture, a white dove flying (a symbol of peace and live), and a black cat, going in the opposite direction of the dove (often a symbol of bad luck, but I guess, also a symbol of resilience). Those, I guess, are the central themes in this movie.
The movie itself is constructed as nine viginettes (small short films really), but where some of the characters are also part of the stories of others. It's not an original idea, but then again, it doesn't have to be, it just needs to be done well. I am not a huge fan of these types of movies, but these stories have enough on their mind to keep you involved. Also, the cast of this movie is great. Solid actors who doesn't steal the picture.
One last thing I'd like to point out, is the technique used in this movie. Every scene is a one long shot. I am not sure what, but this way of filming adds something to the movie, also, the music is not overly dominant in the movie, which is another thing I really appreciate.
Last words... a solid movie with enough on its mind to keep you involved in the nine (and more) stories. Also, when you are done wathing the movie, you aren't left with the feeling that you have all the answers. No, you have just dipped your toes in each story, but you still have so many questions. That is a brave thing to do these days...
