$9.99
Encyclopedia
$9.99 is a 2008 Australian/Israel
i stop motion film written and directed by Tatia Rosenthal
, with the screenplay by Etgar Keret
. This film marks the third collaboration between Rosenthal and Keret. The film features a voice cast of Geoffrey Rush
, Samuel Johnson
, Anthony LaPaglia
and Claudia Karvan
.
to the search for gainful employment. While looking in a magazine, Dave finds an advertisement for a book that will tell him the meaning of life "for the low price of $9.99." Dave, fascinated by this, begins his journey in his Sydney
apartment to find the true meaning of life.
As the film progresses, stories of Dave's family and neighbours are woven in and examine the post-modern meaning of hope.
on 4 September 2008. The film was then released in Los Angeles
and New York
on 19 June 2009 and then in Australia
on 17 September 2009. Upon release, the film earned mostly positive reviews. As of April 2010, it holds a "Fresh" score of 78 percent on the film review Web site Rotten Tomatoes
with an average rating of 6.7 out of 10.
The film has been nominated for the Annie Award
s for Best Animated Feature
and Directing in an Animated Feature Production.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i stop motion film written and directed by Tatia Rosenthal
Tatia Rosenthal
Tatia Rosenthal is an animator and film director born in Tel Aviv, Israel.She served two years in the Israeli Defense Force, tried her hand at medical school and studied photography in Paris, before moving to New York City to attend the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.She...
, with the screenplay by Etgar Keret
Etgar Keret
Etgar Keret is an Israeli writer known for his short stories, graphic novels, and scriptwriting for film and television.-Personal Life:Keret was born in Ramat Gan, Israel in 1967. He is a third child to parents who survived the Holocaust. He lives in Tel Aviv with his wife, Shira Geffen, and...
. This film marks the third collaboration between Rosenthal and Keret. The film features a voice cast of Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Roy Rush is an Australian actor and film producer. He is one of the few people who has won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. He has won one Academy Award for acting , three British Academy Film Awards , two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen...
, Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson (actor)
Samuel Johnson is an Australian actor, radio presenter and voiceover artist.He was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne and is best known for his role as Evan Wylde in the television series The Secret Life of Us.-Starting out:At the age of 14, Johnson performed in his first school play, cast in a...
, Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony M. LaPaglia is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as FBI agent Jack Malone on the American TV series Without a Trace, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama...
and Claudia Karvan
Claudia Karvan
Claudia Karvan is an Australian actress popular for her roles in the television series The Secret Life of Us and Love My Way. She is also a producer and writer on Love My Way. She currently stars in the drama series Spirited...
.
Plot
The film mainly focuses on 28-year-old Dave Peck, who is unemployed but prefers the search for the meaning of lifeMeaning of life
The meaning of life constitutes a philosophical question concerning the purpose and significance of life or existence in general. This concept can be expressed through a variety of related questions, such as "Why are we here?", "What is life all about?", and "What is the meaning of it all?" It has...
to the search for gainful employment. While looking in a magazine, Dave finds an advertisement for a book that will tell him the meaning of life "for the low price of $9.99." Dave, fascinated by this, begins his journey in his Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
apartment to find the true meaning of life.
As the film progresses, stories of Dave's family and neighbours are woven in and examine the post-modern meaning of hope.
Cast
- Geoffrey RushGeoffrey RushGeoffrey Roy Rush is an Australian actor and film producer. He is one of the few people who has won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. He has won one Academy Award for acting , three British Academy Film Awards , two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen...
as The Angel / Homeless Man - Anthony LaPagliaAnthony LaPagliaAnthony M. LaPaglia is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as FBI agent Jack Malone on the American TV series Without a Trace, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama...
as Jim - Samuel JohnsonSamuel Johnson (actor)Samuel Johnson is an Australian actor, radio presenter and voiceover artist.He was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne and is best known for his role as Evan Wylde in the television series The Secret Life of Us.-Starting out:At the age of 14, Johnson performed in his first school play, cast in a...
as Dave - Claudia KarvanClaudia KarvanClaudia Karvan is an Australian actress popular for her roles in the television series The Secret Life of Us and Love My Way. She is also a producer and writer on Love My Way. She currently stars in the drama series Spirited...
as Michelle - Joel EdgertonJoel EdgertonJoel Edgerton is an Australian film and television actor.-Early life:Edgerton was born in Blacktown, Sydney, to a homemaker mother and a solicitor/property developer father, Michael. His brother, Nash Edgerton, is a stuntman and filmmaker...
as Ron - Barry OttoBarry OttoBarry Otto is an Australian actor with a long list of memorable roles on stage and in film. Otto received an AFI Award for Best Supporting Actor in Strictly Ballroom as well as being nominated for Bliss, Cosi and The More Things Change......
as Albert - Leeanna WalsmanLeeanna WalsmanLeeanna Walsman is an Australian actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Zam Wesell in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones , for playing Carly Bishop in the Australian film Looking For Alibrandi and for her starring role in the mini-series Jessica.She has been nominated for two...
as Tanita - Ben MendelsohnBen MendelsohnPaul Benjamin "Ben" Mendelsohn is an Australian actor.-Early life:Mendelsohn was born in Melbourne, Australia, the son of Carole Ann and Frederick Mendelsohn. He attended Heidelberg Primary School and Banyule High School. His father is a prominent medical researcher who heads the Howard Florey...
as Lenny - Jamie Katsamatsas as Zack
- Brian Meagan as Clement
Crew
- Production Designer – Melinda Doring
- Original Music – Christopher Bowen
- Camera (color) – Susan Stitt, James Lewis, Richard Bradshaw
Release and reception
$9.99 premiered at the Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
on 4 September 2008. The film was then released in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on 19 June 2009 and then in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on 17 September 2009. Upon release, the film earned mostly positive reviews. As of April 2010, it holds a "Fresh" score of 78 percent on the film review Web site Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
with an average rating of 6.7 out of 10.
Awards and nominations
- Winner of the Audience Award for best feature at FICCOFICCOMexico City International Contemporary Film Festival, or FICCO for its initials in Spanish was an annual film festival that began in February 2004 and finished in 2010....
2009 - Winner of EXXONMOBIL best female director Award at FICCOFICCOMexico City International Contemporary Film Festival, or FICCO for its initials in Spanish was an annual film festival that began in February 2004 and finished in 2010....
2009 - Winner of Anima Brussels BeTV best feature Award 2009
- Winner of the Grand Prize at Monstra Lisbon Animated film Festival 2009
The film has been nominated for the Annie Award
Annie Award
The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972...
s for Best Animated Feature
Annie Award for Best Animated Feature
The Annie Award for Best Animated Feature is an Annie Award, awarded annually to the best animated feature film and introduced in 1992. In 1998 the award was renamed Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature, only to be reverted back to its original title again in 2001...
and Directing in an Animated Feature Production.