The 9th Life of Louis Drax is a powerful movie that brought me flashes of Room because we have such a strong child main character and reminiscent of Patrick Ness' A Monster Calls at times. It is so beautiful in a subtle dark way that you don't really fully grasp until the end.

I struggled a bit with the pace because even Louis' voice got tiresome every now and then, but the dreamy atmosphere saturated with a constant sense of suspense and mystery where you just had to know more about this kid and what happened to him kept me hooked.

Louis is such a smart, perceptive, special kid, with his own voice and sense of self. You can't help but let him grow on you.

There were some things I did not appreciate, such as the insta-love, but in the end even that made sense, and the twist caught me off guard, although I chided myself for not having thought of it, but the movie is that well done. Looking back you see it makes perfect sense but while watching it just doesn't come to mind.

The 9th Life of Louis Drax is most definitely a unique movie that I highly recommend.

"The 9th Life of Louis Drax" is not the kind of movie that will attract the mainstream audiences. Black comedy, mystery, fairy tale and paranormal thriller all in one, shot in a soft, dreamy, liquid style by Alexandre Aja (despite his "extreme" reputation, this could easily get by with a PG-13 rating), well-acted by the entire cast, this is a likably idiosyncratic little film, even though the main plot twist is generally predictable. **1/2 out of 4.

If You're not one to Get Your Quirk On, this is Definitely Not for You. It Wears its Odd Ball Tendencies Loud and Proud from Frame One.

The Tone Wavers like the Ocean Tide and the Viewer Never Feels quite Comfortable in any of it. There are Interesting Set Ups that Fail to Follow Through or Fully Explored, the most Compelling is that of Little Louis Sessions with a Psychiatrist (Oliver Pratt).

Louis Drax Narrates from Beyond His Comatose State and Beyond His Years giving Details and Insights into His Plight as an Accident Prone Child from His Birth to the 9th Year. The Film's Highlight is the Visual Template that is anything but Normal and the Movie is Mounted with a Compelling Composite of an Other Worldly Template.

The Cast is Game in Difficult Roles with Aiden Longworth as Louis Drax (doing double duty narration) shows the Charm of a Mischievous Pixie, Aaron Paul (Dad), Sarah Gadon (Mom), and Jamie Dornan as the Doctor who takes Care of Louis in the Coma Ward.

The Story and Script Flows Unevenly around the Events that Struggle to Combine Fantasy, Domestic Situations, Horror, Infidelity, Ethics, Suspense, Mystery, and the Kitchen Sink (where dangers lurk).

Overall, Worth a Watch but be Prepared for some very Strange Situations and Nonsense that is Not Very Satisfying and the Twist can Raise more than just an Eyebrow.