$9.99

2008, Rated R, 78 minutes, Directed by Tatia Rosenthal, Written by Etgar Keret and Tatia Rosenthal based on short stories by Etgar Keret, produced by Amir Harel and Emile Sherman, Cinematography by Richard Bradshaw, James Lewis & Susan Stitt, Original Music by Christopher Bowen

With: Joel Edgergon (Ron), Leon Ford (Stanton), Claudia Karvan (Michelle), Anthony LaPaglia (Jim Peck), Ben Mendelsohn (Lenny Peck), and Geoffrey Rush (Angel)

$9.99 is a stop motion clay animated film about the residents of an apartment building in Sydney, Australia. Like a real life apartment building, the characters in the movie have their own lives and their own story. This of course makes perfect sense as the script is based on a series of short stories by Etgar Karat. The problem is that this makes the movie disjointed and jumpy.

The characters range from a repo man, a depressed and weary father, his unemployed son, a supermodel, a young boy and his father, a lonely old man a wayward 20 something how is trying to find direction and stability, and an angel who, though not a resident serves as the connector of the stories as he interacts with all the characters. Each are in their own phase of life trying to search out meaning for their existence. None of the characters are very complex each fitting into a caricature of their life stage. The old man yearns for companionship and will talk to anyone who is willing to listen or even not listen. The unemployed son is an optimistic and naive young adult who is trying to figure out who he really is. The supermodel yearns for companionship as well and manages to catch the over confident young repo man who is full of life. The young boy is learning about saving and possessions and comes to an obvious conclusion by the end of the story. The depressed man eeks out every day of his life only to start all over again the next day. And then there is the angel, who contradicts all the characters and serves as a pessimistic, brash overimposing character who inserts himself into the lives of those around him.

Each character works through their own existence throughout the film and many of the stories are resolved in very odd surreal ways. What seems an attempted comical movie about a pertinent and serious issue in every person’s life falls short of being artistic and creative and instead situates itself in the absurd. The few humorous parts of the movie fall to the deaf ears of those who have been numbed to the absurdity, disconnected plot and slow movement.

The stop motion is very well done but the animating could use improvement as many of the characters look like a first draft of the model. This movie would not have done well at all had it been a movie with human actors. This begs the question, does stop-motion animation make it better. While the stop motion lends itself to the more absurd nature of the film it does not make it a better movie, although it seems that was the intent of the creators. Stop motion animation is a very time consuming process; this time could have been much better spent on creating a more intricate and connected storyline that carried the viewer through the world of the Sydney apartment building.

$9.99 is an attempt to use humor and animation while addressing the issue of the meaning of life. What could have been a complex and meaningful film fall significantly short as it jumps from story to story and only get more and more absurd. While the premise and the format may pique a person’s interest, the story itself is a disappointment.

D+

Content Advisory

there is a scene of suicide and also a man falling from a roof and landing on the ground. The language is mild but the movie is adult themed. There are also several scenes with male and female animated nudity.

Food for thought/discussion

1. What function does the angel serve in the story? How is his experience a commentary on life today?

2. The angel is a rude and condescending character who the other characters react to in different ways. What is a proper way to deal with those types of personalities? How does the movie answer this question?

3. The movie seems to conclude that there are many meanings of life and it is different for each person. Is the a valid conclusion? What would the Bible say is the purpose of life?