Nine Days
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Nine Days takes a bit of time to unfold but conveys a powerful message about kindness, self-love, and the beauty of having a life. It took me more than one watch to catch all of the complexity Oda weaves into the story, but it's well worth it.
The scene where William (Winston Duke) recites “Song of Myself” at the end of the movie hit a deep and hurt part of my soul.
Since I was a kid, I often harbored feelings of not belonging. That I wasn’t “cool” enough….that something was wrong with me. And these feelings continued to manifest as an adult: Struggling with social anxiety with my “cooler” co-workers, harboring intense feelings of inadequacy in business school amongst my “cooler” classmates, etc. These feelings consumed me, and for a few years I became obsessed with finding out what was “wrong with me” — even considering going on fake dates just so an impartial third-party sitting across from me could presumably tell me how horribly boring, unattractive and uncool I was.
Despite all of these anxieties, I had a great professional career, a community of close friends, and an active dating life. But that was never enough to convince me that in fact… I was perfectly fine just the way I was. I really appreciated how the film showed the duality of ~how things look on the outside vs. how you feel~ with the violinist’s story. That despite her “happy life”— something was unsettled deep inside of her.
I am still working to heal my inner child and practice self-compassion today, but I am feeling much better. But when I tell you I felt William belting “Song of Myself”, I FELT it in my core. It became my [our] battle cry — a cathartic declaration of “THIS IS WHO I AM.” Allowing one to embrace oneself and release one’s self-loathing and resentment against the world in a magnanimous roar. Finally just letting yourself… be.
I also really LOVED the final acts of kindness William did for his souls. I thought it was such a unique idea and they were executed so movingly. The scene of Maria (Arianna Ortiz) riding the bicycle brings me to tears every time.
Lastly, shout to the beautiful and talented Zazie Beetz and her character. May she always remind us of the everyday miracles that surround us.
