Character Relationship Map: Nine Days

Characters

• Will (played by Winston Duke) — protagonist

  Will is an arbiter who evaluates souls seeking the chance to be born. Living in an isolated desert house, he interviews candidates, observes the lives he previously selected, and creates final experie...

• Emma (played by Zazie Beetz) — protagonist

  Emma is a candidate soul whose empathy, curiosity, and ability to see the good in people distinguish her from the others. She becomes one of the final two candidates with Kane, but Will chooses Kane i...

• Kyo (played by Benedict Wong) — supporting

  Kyo is Will's supervisor and closest companion in the isolated selection process. Unlike Will, Kyo was never alive, yet assists with interviews and monitors whether Will is choosing appropriately. Kyo...

• Amanda (played by Lisa Starrett) — minor

  Amanda is a 28-year-old violin prodigy whom Will previously selected for life and regularly watches on his television screens. While driving to a major concert, she speeds on the highway, crashes into...

• Kane (played by Bill Skarsgård) — supporting

  Kane is a candidate soul who reaches the final selection alongside Emma. More pessimistic than Emma, he recognizes the existence of evil and shows determination to resist it. Although Kyo recommends E...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Will → Kane (Power Selector And Candidate) — Will determines Kane's selection and future existence.

  The candidates are narrowed down to Emma and Kane, and Will chooses Kane to be born.

• Will → Emma (Professional Evaluator) — Will evaluates Emma as a possible human life.

  Will interviews Emma as a candidate for the vacancy left by Amanda and ultimately decides whether she will be born.

• Will → Kyo (Professional Supervisor) — Kyo oversees and assists Will during the soul-selection process.

  Kyo acts as Will's supervisor, making sure he selects the best candidate and assisting him with the process.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Kyo → Amanda (Narrative Information Bearer) — Kyo delivers the revelation that changes Will's understanding of Amanda.

  Kyo shows Will a tape shortly after Amanda's death that reveals Amanda left a suicide note before the crash.

• Will → Amanda (Narrative Observer) — Will maintains a strong observational attachment to Amanda's life.

  Will watches Amanda's life on a television screen and considers her his favorite among the people he previously selected.

• Emma → Kane (Conflict Rival Candidate) — They represent contrasting qualities in the final selection.

  Emma and Kane are the final two candidates competing for the vacancy left by Amanda.

• Kyo → Kane (Conflict Opposing Advisor) — Kyo's recommendation places him on the opposite side of the final choice from Kane.

  Kyo recommends that Will pick Emma, while Kane is the other remaining candidate ultimately chosen by Will.

Story Analysis

A detached judge of future lives learns that meaning can emerge from empathy, memory, regret, and the freedom to choose.

Plot Progression

1. The Arbiter's Empty World — Will judges souls in an isolated desert house with Kyo's supervision. Amanda's sudden death creates an empty place among the selected lives.
2. The Candidates Arrive — Candidates are interviewed over nine days for the vacancy left by Amanda. Emma attracts Will's attention through her empathy and curiosity.
3. Amanda's Hidden Choice — Kyo brings a tape revealing Amanda's suicide note. Will becomes increasingly unable to stop watching her life or understand her death.
4. Judging Human Lives — Will reveals a painful fragment of his former life to Emma. Another candidate exposes the contradiction between Will's judgments and his abandoned passion.
5. Emma's Last Walk — Emma and Kane become the final candidates, but Will selects Kane despite Kyo's recommendation. Emma rejects a final experience and walks into the desert.