2017 Atlanta Film Festival

directed by Katy Grannan
USA, 2016, English, 98 minutes



The Nine is a no-man’s land where rules of polite society do not apply; a resting place for those who have relinquished the American dream. This emotional documentary unearths the stories of those living along the Nine in Modesto, an area in California's Central Valley devastated by the Great Depression. In a city with no hope, Kiki, exploited by personal trauma, is a rare bright light whose magnetic optimism is a means of self-preservation. Her childlike enthusiasm belies the stark reality of her Darwinian existence, emphasizing the beauty of those who fall by the wayside. —Meghan Faulkner