Nine Days is a 2020 American fantasy drama film written and directed by Edson Oda in his feature debut.

It stars an ensemble cast consisting of Winston Duke, Zazie Beetz, Benedict Wong, Tony Hale, Bill Skarsgård, David Rysdahl, and Arianna Ortiz.

When one of his previous selections suddenly dies, Will becomes dispirited and confused[1] about the true meaning of life as a new batch of souls arrives to be interviewed.

Locations included a warehouse in West Valley City and an exterior set constructed at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

During post-production, editing was completed by Michael Taylor and Jeff Betancourt, and the musical score was composed by Antônio Pinto.

Nine Days premiered on January 27, 2020, at the Sundance Film Festival, where Oda received the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award in the U.S.

It received generally favorable reviews from critics as well as various awards and nominations for Oda's direction, Pinto's score, and the performances of Duke and Beetz.

Will spends his days watching and taking notes on a multitude of television screens, each displaying the life of a different individual that Will has previously selected.

While Emma is carefree and sees the best in people, Kane is more pessimistic, recognizing the evil in the world and showing resolve to fight back against it.

[5] Producers on Nine Days were Jason Michael Berman, Mette-Marie Kongsved, Matthew Linder, Laura Tunstall, and Datari Turner.

[2] Securing funding for the film proved difficult as the producers had been turned down by several specialty distributors, including A24 and Searchlight Pictures.

Duke sat down with Oda for a meeting, which turned into a four-hour conversation about various topics ranging from filmmaking to content they both enjoyed to a discussion about life as an immigrant.

[10][11] On June 7, 2019, Duke, Zazie Beetz, Bill Skarsgård, Benedict Wong and David Rysdahl were announced to star.

[18] Cinematographer Wyatt Garfield cited Schindler's List (1993), Seven (1995), Taking Off (1971), and There Will Be Blood (2007) as inspirations for the interview scenes and Gregory Crewdson as a point of reference for lighting.

The "limbo" setting, where Will lives, was captured using an Arri Alexa Mini with anamorphic lenses by Optica Elite because they "wanted to feel that the house itself was subtly bending and breathing and not totally concrete".

The "real world" scenes, projected only through the televisions in Will's house, were filmed in the span of three weeks in Salt Lake City, Brazil, and Los Angeles with a number of lightweight cameras rigged to helmets and headgear, including a Sony Venice, a Codex Action Cam, and a Blackmagic Cinema Camera.

[19][20][21] To create a crying effect for point-of-view shots, Garfield recalled sealing water in cellophane candy bags and squeezing them in front of the lens.

[22] As a result of the tight schedule, Oda had to cut fifteen pages from the script, including scenes featuring a symbolic spotlight and others involving Kyo.

[31] All music is composed by Antônio Pinto, David Bessler, Gabriel Ferreira and Yaniel MatosIn December 2019, the Sundance Film Festival announced the lineup for the 2020 competition.

"[11] In February 2020, Sony Pictures Classics acquired distribution rights to the film for North and Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, India, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, South Africa, the Benelux, Thailand and airlines.

[35] In their review of the footage, Screen Rant's Alex McGuire noted the "impressive cast" and the film's "complex questions about existence".

[37] Syfy Wire's Jacob Oller said the film would intrigue fans of Duke and that there was "definitely some weirdness going on that belies beauty and the deeper questions in life.

The website's critical consensus reads, "A knockout feature directorial debut from Edson Oda, Nine Days is an ethereal and evocative film about the meaning of life – elevated by a phenomenal performance from Winston Duke.

"[48] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 72 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Jacob Oller of Paste called him "one of our most exciting new directors, a filmmaker possessing an innovative cinematic mind with a heart to match.

[54] Film Threat's Lorry Kikta lauded the script because it communicated its themes in a way that would successfully remind viewers about the value of life without being "preachy or pedantic.

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times noted the "brilliant work" from both actors and said he enjoyed the film due to its straightforward narrative and accessibility, describing it as a combination of Soul and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004).

[56] Peter Debruge from Variety gave positive notes to the story, production design, cinematography, and score and categorized it as the "rare work of art that invites you to re-consider your entire worldview.