You know what’s nuts? Winston Duke has only appeared in five films, and they were all major hits. His filmography goes: Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Us, and Spencer Confidential. That’s one Best Picture nominee, one instant-horror classic that should have been nominated for an Oscar (Lupita was robbed), two of the highest-grossing movies ever, and Netflix’s third most-watched original movie. Atlanta‘s Zazie Beetz has a nifty resume herself, including bad-movie-podcast favorite Geostorm (“GEOSTORM”), Deadpool 2, and Joker, and together, they star in Nine Days.
The indie-drama from Edson Oda has a powerful, but potentially disastrous concept (Winston Duke’s character interviews several candidates to determine which souls will be given the gift of life), but based on the reviews out of Sundance, Duke and Beetz, along with co-stars Benedict Wong, Bill Skarsgård, and Tony Hale, help make it work.
Here’s the official plot synopsis:
Will (Winston Duke) spends his days in a remote outpost watching the live Point of View on TV’s of people going about their lives, until one subject perishes, leaving a vacancy for a new life on earth. Soon, several candidates — unborn souls — arrive at Will’s to undergo tests determining their fitness, facing oblivion when they are deemed unsuitable. But Will soon faces his own existential challenge in the form of free-spirited Emma (Zazie Beetz), a candidate who is not like the others, forcing him to turn within and reckon with his own tumultuous past. Fueled by unexpected power, he discovers a bold new path forward in his own life… Japanese Brazilian director Edson Oda delivers a heartfelt and meditative vision of human souls in limbo, aching to be born against unimaginable odds, hindered by forces beyond their will.
Nine Days opens on January 22, 2021.