Vancouver Independent Festival | An interview with Gabrielle Miller on making 9 Lives

We had a chance to speak with Gabrielle Miller about her short film, “9 Lives: Chapter One.” This is a touching and intriguing film about Stella, who loses one of her nine lives. The film was screened during the seasonal edition of the 5th edition of Vancouver Independent Film Festival. Since its inception as a festival in 2016, countless events, from screenings and stage performances to appreciation nights, galas and cruise trips on opening and closing ceremonies, have been successfully executed in Vancouver. The of the festival at the beginning was middle Eastern Cinema, especially the Iranian Cinema. But the new focus is international, and the organizers hope to have a physical event this year during November in Vancouver.

The film is beautifully shot and directed. And the acting, especially on the part of Scarlett Miller, who plays the young Stella, really pulled me in. Thank you for having a chat with us.

Chris McClure, UniversalCinema Magazine (UM): First off, what was the inspiration for this film?

Gabrielle Miller (GM): When I was 18, someone shared a theory with me that we all have 9 lives.  We have 9 pivotal moments in life where we could lose one of these lives.  On your 9th near miss, that’s when your life on earth actually ends.  Since then I have been thinking about all of the near misses I have had and friends have had.  We all know that feeling of, “Wow, that could have been really bad.”  This concept lends itself to watching the life unfold of a character as they have the near misses–as the audience we get to see them.  And even though the character doesn’t see them, the could-have-been-bad moment still metamorphoses and changes the character’s trajectory and choices moving forward.  There’s so much capacity with this concept as a springboard, it was a film a long time in the making.

I always wondered: what if there are 9 pivotal moments where your path changes destiny?  Maybe your life consists of near misses: a phone rings or you swerve the car out of the way just before it hits.  In a world where there is so much uncertainty, it’s important to embrace your challenges, triumph over your mistakes and learn how to keep moving forward!

I wanted to write a story that was a thrilling journey using the magic of film to capture the magnificence of the ordinary and extraordinary moments that make up a life.

 (UM): Where exactly is the young Stella? She seems to be in a sort of enchanted library.

(GM):Yes!  It is an enchanted library where Young Stella goes to find solace from her tumultuous life.  And she has discovered something magical there, when she finds her name on one of the books.  More “chapters” to come soon so stay-tuned!

 (UM): I noticed that the colour red is quite prominent. The mother and daughter both wear red dresses, there’s a large red chair Mimi grabs onto, there’s a shot of a red Emergency sign. Was this intentional? What does the red signify?

(GM):These are such great questions!  I am thrilled that you noticed so many details in my little film!  I am a film professor and I try to convey to students that the details are what can distinguish a good film from a great film.  Everything you see and how you see it are totally purposeful.  Each episode or “chapter” has a color associated with it.  9 Lives: Chapter One is red.  It’s the color of passion, pain, blood, love.  And in editing we really tried to make the right color red pop, since there are many reds, we purposely chose this particular shade and tone, which is repeated throughout the film.  I am so glad you saw red!

 (UM): This has to be one of the most depressing depictions of an uncaring mother I’ve seen. But Stella seems happy and hopeful. Do you think Stella is a fighter by nature, or did growing up in a dysfunctional family force her to become a fighter?

(GM): Yes, it is truly heart-breaking but much of this film is autobiographical either from me or stories told to me that were passed down as events in my family’s lives.  Young Stella is definitely hard-wired for optimism!  In life, we can let our bruises keep us down or decide to pull ourselves up in spite of hardships.  Young Stella, in her red ballet dress and her innocent curls, has decided to persevere and we see this joy of life later when we see Stella as an adult.

 (UM): There’s a certain ambiguity about how exactly Stella lost her first life. Could you tell us about that? How exactly did Stella lose her first life?

(GM):I think films have a longer life if they have a bit of ambiguity and unanswered questions!  My hope is that people will rewatch and try to decipher exactly how the “accident” happened. And I worked hard to keep it ambiguous since the real story is just far too sad, and probably not believable.  I also think that mental illness, particularly narcissism, in caregivers is a topic that should be discussed.  There’s no guarantee that your family will lift you up and this sad depiction is a reality for many and I have rarely seen it in films and television.  Children are so vulnerable and depend on their parents–what happens to those innocent kids who aren’t taken care of?

 (UM): The adult Stella tries to guess the circumstances of her date’s birth. Is she supposed to be psychic?

(GM):The adult Stella still maintains her happy side.  She has many talents, including accents, and decides to do a voice and change personas for this cool, gorgeous guy.  She is quirky and can sense that he likes this about her immediately.  It could have backfired and made Phil run in the other direction–but he doesn’t!  Stella is being goofy while she is giddy with flirtation!  I mean look at that guy!  He’s so cute!

 (UM): Can you tell us about the production? Did anything unexpected happen?

(GM): I woke up on our first day of production, feeling beyond great and put on a shirt that said “Trust the Universe” and went for a run to a shop to buy cigarette props for Mimi.  So full of hope and joy, I missed seeing that there was a crack in the sidewalk and totally fell.  Scraped both of my hands badly and knees.  Hobbled the mile back home after–you guessed it– buying the cigs.  After production was done 4 days later an x-ray showed that I had dislocated my kneecap.  Funny what a bit of production adrenaline can do to make you forget your pain!  Also, besides the irony of my t-shirt I realize now that I could have easily fell the other direction and lost one of my 9 lives.  Honestly, I wish I was making that story up–my knee still hurts!

Also, thank you for recognizing Scarlett Miller as Young Stella.  She is a rockstar actress (and daughter) and I look forward to seeing her in more films.  What a talent!  While we were shooting her run through the woods, our first scene of the day, she stepped on a wasp’s nest and got stung on her arms and legs 3 times. She got some ice and she insisted we just keep shooting.  QB for her football team, too.  She’s kind of my idol.

My cast and crew were phenomenal which is another huge key to this film’s incredible success!

(UM): The adult Stella goes on a date with a man in a shirt that reads, “Everything is bigger in Texas.” Later, we see that her father has a belt buckle that has the same saying on it. Is the idea here that Stella is subconsciously attracted to men like her father?

(GM): I am ecstatic that you noticed many of my careful details!  How did you read the shirt under the other shirt?  You are fantastic at finding the clues!  There are some redeeming qualities of her father, the charmer.  Stella is attracted to Phil immediately, and yes, the charm and contagious smile subconsciously remind her of her father’s best qualities.  We all live by connecting the dots and this is one that was easy for Stella.

 (UM): This felt like the beginning of a much larger story, and I see on IMDb that the full title is, “9 Lives: Chapter One.” Could you tell us about any plans for a future, longer film?

(GM): Yes, yes , yes!  My goal and hope is to turn this into a television series.  Each season has 9 episodes following one character.  Maybe we see them in another time period or place.  Maybe it’s one of the minor characters from a previous season that we meet and follow, like Leonard, Stella’s father or her mother.  What did Mimi live through that brought her to such a sad desperate day we see in Chapter One?  I always tell my children to not be quick to judge others.  “You don’t know what anyone has been through.”  The possibilities for a television series are endless and exciting! And a feature-length film would be amazing too!  I loved making this short film and can not wait to do more!

© 2021. UniversalCinema Mag.