$9.99- An amazing display of stop-motion animation.
Posted on 17 October, 2009 | 1 Comment
by Alex Goff
“$9.99″ is an independent feature-length stop-motion animated film about a man who orders a book from a catalog for $9.99 which promises to hold the meaning of life, and his neighbors who live in his apartment building.
Although this film is animated, it is by no means a children’s film. There is strong language, naked puppets, mild drug use and drinking. Don’t let that turn you off either. This film is compelling and beautiful with strong, memorable characters and unique scenarios that will keep you captivated throughout the entire film. The characters all have separate and unique story lines that are interwoven and connected to each other.
There’s a homeless man, voiced by Geoffrey Rush, who lost his wife and now is on the search for coffee, a cigarette and something interesting to happen. There’s an old man, Mr. Kweller, who also lost his wife, is very lonely, and just looking for someone to talk to. There’s brothers Lenny and Dave. Dave is unemployed and searching for the meaning of life. Lenny works as a repossessor and is mostly interested in his super model girlfriend. Zack is a young kid who learns the value of working for things you want with his piggy bank and drinking lots of glasses of milk.
The film is more about humans and their gestures than the meaning of life–which we never learn what the book says is, although we do learn that there is not just one meaning, but six.
After the film, concept illustrator, Shira Derman, spoke to the audience about the production of the film. She said that the film took almost 10 years to go from concept to finished product. It was in actual production for about two years. The puppets in the film had frames made out of metal with ball and socket joints and then were covered in silicon. The sets were made out of wood and constructed by crews of model builders. She wanted to emphasize the point that animation is not just a medium used for children’s films–it’s an emerging art that can be used for any type of film. That’s certainly true, and this film was an excellent example of how animation is an elaborate art.
Check out the trailer for $9.99:
For more information about $9.99, visit:
www.9dollars99movie.com
For more information about the Citizen Jane Film Festival, visit:
http://www.stephens.edu/news/stephensevents/citizenjane/index.php
Saw the film? Leave us a comment and tell us what you thought!
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October 17th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
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