Ryan McNeil
Beginning my 2008 TIFF screenings with $9.99 felt a little like going to a buffet dinner and heading straight for the dessert cart. Not that I’d ever talk someone out of such a decision.
The movie is a stop-motion animated film about the inhabitants of an Australian apartment building. The place they all call home is the sort of dwelling where the walls are so thin, you can hear your neighbours entire lives without much effort. There, we get the stories of six sad souls told to us in all their claymation glory. All of them are men, all of them find their lives troubled with gaping holes. For some, what they want most is to be loved, for others, simple company will do. Standing just off to the side of all this sadness is a mysterious angel, voiced by Geoffrey Rush, who may or may not be what he seems.
This animated movie is cut from the same cloth as TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE and PERSEPOLIS. That is to say that not very much of it is geared towards kids. It leans towards absurdity at times, and even features a nude scene or two to drive home the point that animation isn’t child’s play anymore.
The movie works as a reminder that many of us look at our lives and find them wanting. Sometimes, just an attempt at fulfillment will bring us the answers that we desire. While is didn’t knock me out like some recent animation has, $9.99 is a heartfelt animated film and is worth checking out.
$9.99 plays twice more before the end of the festival.