| Photos (See all 14 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 2) |
| Kieran O'Brien | ... | Matt | |
| Margo Stilley | ... | Lisa | |
| Huw Bunford | ... | Himself (Super Furry Animals) | |
| Cian Ciaran | ... | Himself (Super Furry Animals) | |
| The Dandy Warhols | ... | Themselves | |
| Elbow | ... | Themselves | |
| Franz Ferdinand | ... | Themselves | |
| Bobby Gillespie | ... | Himself (Primal Scream) | |
| Bob Hardy | ... | Himself (Franz Ferdinand) | |
| Dafydd Ieuan | ... | Himself (Super Furry Animals) | |
| Alex Kapranos | ... | Himself (Franz Ferdinand) | |
| Mani | ... | Himself (Primal Scream) | |
| Nick McCarthy | ... | Himself (Franz Ferdinand) | |
| Michael Nyman | ... | Himself | |
| Guto Pryce | ... | Himself (Super Furry Animals) | |
| Gruff Rhys | ... | Himself (Super Furry Animals) | |
| Courtney Taylor-Taylor | ... | Himself (the Dandy Warhols) | |
| Robert Young | ... | Himself (Primal Scream) | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Black Rebel Motorcycle Club | ... | Themselves | |
| Don Blum | ... | Himself | |
| Marcie Bolen | ... | Herself | |
| Guy Garvey | ... | Himself (Elbow) | |
| Peter Hayes | ... | Himself (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) | |
| Nick Jago | ... | Himself (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) | |
| Richard Jupp | ... | Himself (Elbow) | |
| Craig Potter | ... | Himself (Elbow) | |
| Mark Potter | ... | Himself (Elbow) | |
| Carrie Smith | ... | Herself | |
| Jason Stollsteimer | ... | Himself | |
| Super Furry Animals | ... | Themselves | |
| Pete Turner | ... | Himself (Elbow) | |
| Robert Turner | ... | Himself (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) | |
| The Von Bondies | ... | Themselves | |
Directed by | |||
| Michael Winterbottom | |||
Writing credits(in alphabetical order) | ||
| Michael Winterbottom | ||
Produced by | |||
| Andrew Eaton | .... | executive producer | |
| Andrew Eaton | .... | producer | |
| Melissa Parmenter | .... | associate producer | |
| Michael Winterbottom | .... | producer | |
Cinematography by | |||
| Marcel Zyskind | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Mat Whitecross | |||
| Michael Winterbottom | |||
Casting by | |||
| Steve Daly | |||
| Julie Dunne | |||
Production Management | |||
| Layla Blackman | .... | post-production supervisor (as Layla Evans) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Tristan Aneca | .... | additional sound mixer (as Tristan Anika) | |
| Alan Cridford | .... | additional sound mixer | |
| Richard Davey | .... | dubbing mixer | |
| Rashad Omar | .... | additional sound mixer | |
| Rashid Omar | .... | additional sound mixer | |
| Joakim Sundström | .... | sound editor | |
| Stuart Wilson | .... | sound recordist | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Annemarie Lean-Vercoe | .... | additional camera operator (as Anne Marie Lean Vercoe) | |
| Mat Whitecross | .... | additional camera operator | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Ross Baker | .... | colorist | |
| Cas Casey | .... | digital on-line editor | |
| Jon Thompson | .... | digital film transfer | |
Other crew | |||
| Michael Groom | .... | production assistant: dailies | |
| Jethro Harris | .... | operations manager: Pepper Ltd. | |
| Boyd Harvey | .... | insurance: Media Insurance | |
| Martin McGlone | .... | laboratory contact | |
| Fiona McGuire | .... | head of production: Revolution Films | |
| Helen Phelps | .... | sales manager: Pepper Post Productions Ltd. | |
| Martyn Richmond | .... | production assistant | |
| Molly Tudhope | .... | production assistant: Revolution Films | |
Thanks | |||
| Nick Adams | .... | special thanks | |
| Air | .... | special thanks | |
| Rab Andrew | .... | special thanks | |
| Amy Ashworth | .... | special thanks | |
| Chris Auty | .... | special thanks | |
| John Babbitt | .... | special thanks | |
| Michael Been | .... | special thanks (as Michael Big Daddy Been) | |
| Michael Brennan | .... | special thanks | |
| James Brown | .... | special thanks | |
| Cerne Canning | .... | special thanks | |
| Rick Canny | .... | special thanks | |
| Rhiannon Ceiri | .... | special thanks | |
| Phil Chadwick | .... | special thanks | |
| Peter Christelis | .... | special thanks | |
| Gary Downing | .... | special thanks | |
| Nigel Downs | .... | special thanks | |
| Jon Duncan | .... | special thanks | |
| Stephane Elfassi | .... | special thanks | |
| Ralph Harrison | .... | special thanks | |
| Pernilla Holl | .... | special thanks | |
| Michel Houellebecq | .... | special thanks | |
| Greg Hunt | .... | special thanks | |
| Josh Hyams | .... | special thanks | |
| Lindy King | .... | special thanks | |
| Sarah Kite | .... | special thanks | |
| Stuart Laing | .... | special thanks | |
| Elizabeth Lloyd | .... | special thanks: Michael Nyman Limited | |
| Alun Llwyd | .... | special thanks | |
| Graeme Lowe | .... | special thanks | |
| Graeme Mason | .... | special thanks | |
| Claire Muldone | .... | special thanks | |
| Ross Pelling | .... | special thanks | |
| Craig Pride | .... | special thanks | |
| Brigham Ray | .... | special thanks | |
| Eddie Richardson | .... | special thanks | |
| Marc Robinson | .... | special thanks | |
| David Rootes | .... | special thanks | |
| Rowetta Satchell | .... | special thanks (as Rowetta) | |
| Steve Schmoll | .... | special thanks | |
| Courtney Taylor-Taylor | .... | special thanks (as Courtney Taylor Taylor) | |
| Aiden Thompson | .... | special thanks | |
| Venus | .... | special thanks | |
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| The Voyeur | Eyes Wide Shut | Salon Kitty | Swimming Pool | The Kids Are All Right |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb UK section |
It seems strange to have such an affection for a film that is so flawed and fails in so many areas. Either way, I really really enjoyed Nine Songs, a relationship drama told strictly through sex. First, we'll list the failures. The acting of our female lead is a bit suspect and makes her, in the end, unlikable. The photography, although intimate and immediate, suffers from it's DV quality and makes you wonder how beautiful this film could have been shot with the eye of perhaps... Lars Von Trier's dogma lense. Most importantly, the movie relies on two ingredients that in the end prove a bit useless. We are reliving the story in memory via the male lead as he travels through Antarctica. Although it is an interesting metaphor and a captivating landscape, it seems almost entirely unnecessary. We hear him say "you can be clostraphobic and agoraphobic all at the same time, much like the bedroom." Secondly, and most important, the live music is inconsequential, although good. The actual image quality is low, the songs play for too long, the lyrics apply to the narrative not at all, and the bands all flirt with one style (Michael Nyman being the exception). I must say, there is an outstanding version of "Jacqueline" by Franz Ferdinand.
Now let me tell you where the film succeeds. We experience two young, naive, selfish personalities infatuated with one another, and the idea of one another. This is expressed in the most immediate and intimate fashion: SEX. We see two people in the prime of a relationship, in which the most sex is had, and as much as possible, however possible, symbolizing favors, trust, forgiveness, revenge, and all the other facets of a relationship. These scenes also succeed because of their length, the total lack of music, and the director's willingness to let them exist without explanation. Although these two characters are not even particularly likable or explained to us, we end up feeling as if we've shared something very deep with them, solely based on the extent to which we are asked to hang with them throughout the long and graphic and no holds barred sex scenes.
It may seem sick, but by the end, as a graphic fellatio scene ends with actual ejaculation, you have become so acclimatized to this topic, and it being our main source of communication, that there is an almost unspoken dialogue between all parties. Instead of feeling offended, we feel love for the privacy of the moment, for the trust and sharing that happens there. Instead of feeling aroused, we feel compelled by the motives, interested in the roles played and mindful of the moment shared.
By asking that you step into a theater, with total strangers, and watch many graphic sexual encounters, many unexplained and without the usual Hollywood ramp-up, you have signed over a certain amount of control and comfort as an audience-member, which in the end, offers a truly unique experience of the "love story". When all is said and done, "Nine Songs" evoked a truly unique and loving response from me, in spite of the fact that as a film, it fails in many areas. I would not say that many films should be made like this, but I would say that it is flirting with a new form of love story that is raw, beautiful and in the end, no matter how many times it fails, honest by the sheer default of it's topic.