WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Kirpianuscus Not impressive. it is the first temptation for define it. but, like many temptations, it is wrong. because it has the gift to be a film about...the viewer. sure, the performances, the story, the end are good points. but the essence of this beautiful film is to do yourself to be honest with you. because it is a film about masks and about clear perspective about near reality of a child who defines everybody from us. in different manner. it is a film about small pieces as bones of truth. and about the fundamental answers. so, an useful film. for propose definitions and fake realities and price of love. honest, direct, transcending genres and giving a nice picture of the reality in the right nuances.

dayvit78 I think most of the other reviewers have picked apart the movie quite thoroughly - highlighting the numerous areas that were perplexing choices on behalf of the director.So, I just have one thing to add. This film is set in San Francisco with some brief shots in San Diego (Seaworld). Why? None of the characters had a San Francisco mindset - that was what took me completely out of the movie, rather than the fantasy elements (which I had no problem with). At best I could classify their mindset as small town New England, but that also doesn't seem fair. If you are interested in a movie that does a good job of portraying the type of people who live in the Bay Area, I recommend Coherence.The San Diego scene was all wrong too - nobody wears jackets and hoodies when they go to Seaworld.

Mark Turner Louis Drax (Aiden Longworth) is a special nine year old. As he narrates his tale he's suffered numerous accidents in the few short years he's been on this planet. So much so that his mother tells him he's catlike and needs to be careful because he's nearing his ninth life. So when he plunges over a cliff early on in the film the odds of his surviving are slim. But survive he does.Rushed to the hospital with his mother in tow and his father missing, Louis was underwater for some time after falling off the cliff into the sea. The combination of cold and lack of oxygen leaves him clinging for life. Eventually the doctors' call his death official and he is carted off to the morgue…where he wakes much to the consternation of the morgue attendant. Rushed back to surgery Louis is barely alive and in a coma.Enter into the picture Dr. Allan Pascal (Jamie Dornan), a neurosurgeon who is fortunately nearby. He comes into the case trying to help Louis come out of his coma and to communicate. Placed in the wing he oversees filled with various coma patients Pascal and his staff talk to them, interact with them and try to ease them back.Louis' mother Natalie (Sarah Gadon) refuses to leave the hospital until she can be with Louis. His father Peter (Aaron Paul) is still missing and considered on the run. Natalie has told the police that he pushed Louis off of the edge of the cliff.The movie moves back and forth in time and space as we listen to Louis tell us about his life. Most of this is done in flashback as Louis talks to his therapist Dr. Perez (Oliver Platt). Bits and pieces of what was happening in his day to day world combined with his attitude towards life are revealed in these moments, peeled back like the layers of an onion but never quite telling us the whole story.In addition to the tale of Louis that he is presenting us we have that of Dr. Pascal and Louis' mother Natalie. The married Pascal finds himself attracted to the young mother in need. This doesn't go unnoticed by the staff or by the police, still on the hunt for Peter Drax. Their story unfolds slowly as well offering us more of a question mark as to their potential future rather than a solid yes or no.Eventually Pascal begins to suspect that Louis has been trying to use his brainwaves to communicate to him via his dreams. This leads to a hypnotic session involving Pascal and Perez that they hope will lead to the truth about what happened to young Louis and if he is indeed trying to communicate with them.I know, this all sounds a bit weird. The fact is that it is weird but in a good way. While not identical I found myself thinking back to the movie DONNIE DARKO with the strange way the story is told but how it all makes sense in the end. That a movie can achieve this AND tell a solid story at the same time makes for one marvelous movie.The movie itself looks fantastic but I would expect nothing less from director Alexandre Aja. I've long been a fan of his including past films like HORNS, MIRRORS and PIRANHA 3D. He has a great visual sense and a respect for fantasy I've only seen in director Guillermo del Toro. He puts that to great use here in this film.The entire cast does a tremendous job here. Dornan plays Pascal low key which is what we need from the character. Gadon is the endangered waif of a woman that needs protected. But for me the standout was Aaron Paul. Having seen him for several years in BREAKING BAD it's nice to see him portray a character who may be nefarious but at the same time might be purely innocent.On the whole I can't recommend this film enough. I was captured by the story from start to finish, never wanting to check the time stamp to see how much longer I had to sit through the movie. It's one that I know will take a space on my shelf of movies to revisit on occasion. It's also one I'm looking forward to discussing with others who get the chance to see it. It is a movie worth seeking out if not owning it outright.

gridoon2018 "The 9th Life of Louis Drax" is not the kind of movie that will attract the mainstream audiences. Black comedy, mystery, fairy tale and paranormal thriller all in one, shot in a soft, dreamy, liquid style by Alexandre Aja (despite his "extreme" reputation, this could easily get by with a PG-13 rating), well-acted by the entire cast, this is a likably idiosyncratic little film, even though the main plot twist is generally predictable. **1/2 out of 4.