Watch Ninth Floor

Ninth Floor is a psychological thriller movie from 2015 directed by Mina Shum and starring Mackenzie Gray. The film portrays a tense and emotional situation that takes place in a university in Montreal. The story of the movie is centered on a group of students from different ethnic backgrounds who share a common room on the ninth floor of a university residence hall. The main characters are eight students who are studying at Montreal's prestigious Sir George Williams University in 1969. As part of their protest against the university's authorities, they occupied the administration offices on the ninth floor.

The story is based on a real incident that occurred on February 11, 1969. The students, part of the Caribbean Student Union, broke into the computer center and destroyed the equipment. The protest was motivated by allegations of racism against a professor, Perry Anderson, who failed 27 of 45 black students in his class.

The movie opens with a historical footage montage showing the civil rights movement and protests, and it ends with the actual documentary footage of the protest as well, all in black and white. Then the movie begins with a shot showing the entrance of the 9th floor, where the group of students have barricaded themselves in the computer center room.

The movie takes us on a journey through the eight days that the students occupied the ninth floor, providing a glimpse of their personal lives, motivations and their different backgrounds. The group dynamics explore many issues of race, class, power, trust, betrayal, hope, and despair. The characters are multi-dimensional and complex, and their interactions are often revealing and thought-provoking.

Mackenzie Gray, the main actor in the movie, plays a professor who is sympathetic to the students' cause but is also under pressure from the university authorities to find a solution to the standoff. Gray’s character is a central one in the film, and he brings a sense of objectivity and analysis to the story.

As the days pass by, the situation becomes more complicated, and tension rises in the ninth floor among the students. They struggle to stay united, deal with hunger, media attention and police raids. The climax of the movie is intense, emotional, and unpredictable.

Ninth Floor is a well-made film that successfully captures the historical moment of a significant incident in Canadian history. The director Mina Shum has managed to create a story that not only informs but also provokes emotions and stimulates critical thinking.

The movie is a haunting exploration of the raw humanity in human beings’ power dynamics, race relations and activism. The film shows how protest movements come from the personal urgency of social injustices and lead to confrontation and resistance in society.

One of the essential elements of the movie is the soundtrack, which is composed of original songs by various artists from Canada and the United States. The songs were carefully chosen to reflect the time period and mirror the emotions and mood of the characters in the film.

In conclusion, if you are interested in historical events, political activism, or you enjoy psychological thrillers, Ninth Floor is a movie you should not miss. The film is a riveting and thought-provoking account of a significant event in Canadian history, and it raises many questions about the cost of social justice and the relevance of protests in modern times.

Ninth Floor is a 2015 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 21 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.8.