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. In the film, Will (Duke) is a reclusive man residing in a house in the pre-existence with his assistant Kyo (Wong). His job is to interview souls hoping to be born and to observe how the souls he has selected are living on Earth. When one of his previous selections suddenly dies, Will becomes dispirited and confused with the true meaning of life as a new batch of souls arrives to be interviewed. In 2017, the Sundance Institute selected Oda to participate in its annual screenwriting lab in Utah. The character of Will is based on his uncle, who died by suicide when Oda was 12 years old. Funding the project proved difficult. After a number of specialty distributors turned the producers down, they put together a team of executive producers, including Spike Jonze, to obtain the $10 million budget. Nine Days was shot in less than a month in the state of Utah. Locations included a warehouse in West Valley City and an exterior set constructed at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Filming wrapped in the summer of 2019. During post-production, editing was completed by Michael Taylor and Jeff Betancourt, and the musical score was composed by Antônio Pinto. The film premiered on January 27, 2020, at the Sundance Film Festival, where Oda received the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. Following a delay by the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was released in select theaters on July 30, 2021, with a nationwide release on August 6, by Sony Pictures Classics. 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. Plot Will is an arbiter who judges souls before they inhabit bodies in the living. He lives in an isolated house in the middle of a desert landscape, interviewing candidate souls for the opportunity to be born. If they are not selected, Will gives them an experience of their choosing to enact before their existence is erased. His only company is Kyo, who acts as a sort of supervisor, making sure Will selects the best candidate and assisting him with