The Maria Debate in Nine Lives

On an IMDB message board there is a long thread about the last scene in the movie Nine Lives. The scene, entitled Maria, involves just two characters – an aging mother, played by Glenn Close, and a young daughter who is played by Dakota Fanning.

By the way, if you haven’t watched the movie then you should, because it’s really good. But also, you might not want to read any further because this post definitely contains spoilers.

In the midst of trying to discover what connection this scene has with the other eight (they all tie-in somehow) one person commented that it’s a shame people keep trying to read more into this scene than intended, i.e. trying to make it into a “Sixth Sense” sort of moment. She writes:

I am tired of seeing the “ghost” and “schizophrenic” scenarios being used as so many copouts to mediocre writing, and I am tired of intelligent film buffs of imdb trying to associate this amazingly written film with those tactics by defying it’s own language and pulling a 6th sense in the 9th inning..

I just had to respond to this. It was clear to me that the little girl was just a memory, she was not really there – and yes, this IS the intended implication. There are actually several clues in the scene that point this out.

First, Glenn Close appears too old to be her mother, but we know that she is because the little girl refers to her as mom. If the little girl had died 15 or 20 years ago the ages would fit right.

The girl tells her mom that her hair looks good, as if she’s seeing the haircut for the first time. The two play games that causes the mom to first laugh and then break down into tears, as if she is remembering the fun they had, and it is too emotional.

Then there are the grapes – first the mom pulls them out of her bag and it appears to be a big deal that she remembered them, and Dakota Fanning seems absolutely delighted to get them. Then later when she is leaving she places the grapes (uneaten) on the gravestone before walking away. To me that was quite clear.

But there are two other moments that are even more definitive.

First, when they are at the tree Dakota Fanning wants to climb it and sit up in the branches. The mom is very anxious about this and at first says no then reluctantly helps her get up there and stays right beneath her. It is obvious that she is concerned about her physical safety.

And yet, when they are playing the “I spy” game and Glenn becomes upset she just quickly walks away from the tree without looking back, she doesn’t help the little girl down, and she isn’t a bit concerned for her safety.

When I was first watching the movie, that was my first clue that something was up because any mom will tell ya that you don’t just leave your kid dangling in a tree. It didn’t seem right, especially since she’d already shown a fuss about her getting up there in the first place. But if it was just an imagined interaction, and the girl was a creation from the mom’s memory, then it wouldn’t matter.

The second conclusive moment is when the mom packs up and walks away – Dakota Fanning isn’t there. Not there during the 360 look around the cemetery, not when she’s folding the blanket and placing the grapes on the gravestone, not there when she’s walking away.

Rodrigo Garcia (the writer/director) said that he put this one last because yes, it does tie all the themes together, but most importantly because of it’s twist. He says he knew the audience would not be able to recommit themselves to another scene afterwards. I.E. – they wouldn’t become invested in the character because they’d be too busy waiting for the bottom to drop out.

To me the scene was made incredibly powerful by the realization that the little girl was the one in the grave. It was an emotional bombshell and brought tears to my eyes. I suddenly understood the mother’s pain and her sweet, sad smiles.

The scene doesn’t make much sense otherwise. Who would be in the grave? Why does the mom cry when she plays games with her daughter? Where is the little girl when the mom’s leaving the cemetery. Why does she leave grapes on the gravestone? How could she walk away from the tree and not help her daughter get down?

And as for the criticism that some viewers are trying to cheapen the movie by implanting a ghost into the scene, I’d like to point out that the mom wasn’t actually seeing her in the “sixth sense” sort of way – she was remembering her, just as anyone would when visiting a loved one’s gravesite. It’s a bittersweet experience.