9 Month Stretch (9 mois ferme) is a 2013 French comedy film directed by Albert Dupontel, starring Sandrine Kiberlain and Albert Dupontel.
Ariane Felder (Kiberlain) is a single judge. Six month after a boozy New Year's Eve party, she discovers that she is pregnant, but does not know who the father is. After a short investigation, she realizes the father is Bob Nolan (Dupontel), a thief who is currently prosecuted for a horrific mutilation case.
9 Month Stretch provides examples of:
- An Arm and a Leg: Bob Nolan is accused of having cut the arms and the legs of his victim. There are three fantasy sequences which show different versions of the scene.
- Babies Make Everything Better: Ariane Felder becomes a better person thanks to the birth of her baby.
- Bilingual Bonus: The news programmes in English are not subtitled in the French version.
- Bloody Hilarious:
- When Ariane Felder talks with a forensic scientist, he answers her while butchering a body.
- The fantasy sequences which show how a man could have lost his two arms, his two legs and his two eyes. Bob Nolan imagines it could be a suicide attempt or an accident.
- Brick Joke: After Bob Nolan is questioned by Ariane Felder in her office, he convinces his lawyer that "perruque" (wig) is a scary word for judges. Later, during the trial, the lawyer suggests he could say "perruque".
- But Liquor Is Quicker: Ariane Felder has sex with Bob Nolan when she is drunk. She does not remember anything the day after.
- The Cameo: Jean Dujardin as a sign language translator, Terry Gilliam as Charles Meatson, the "Famous Man-Eater", Yolande Moreau as Bob Nolan's mother, Ray Cooper as a CNN journalist, Gaspar Noé and Jan Kounen as inmates.
- Cardboard Prison: Bob Nolan escapes very easily from the prison. As a thief, he is good at opening doors.
- Clear Their Name: Bob Nolan is accused of having cut the arms and the legs and having eaten the eyes of a man. He wants to clear his name, but he is unable to do it by himself, so he asks Ariane Felder to help him.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Ariane Felder does not want any romantic relationship and she does not want a baby. In the end, she keeps the baby and she is pleased that Bob Nolan come to visit her, but it is unclear whether they have a romantic relationship.
- The Ditz: Bob Nolan's lawyer. Nolan, who is not very clever himself, can easily convince him that "perruque" (wig) is a scary word for judges. His speech for Nolan's defence also demonstrates he is quite stupid.
- Eye Scream: Bob Nolan is accused of having eaten the eyes of his victim. There are three fantasy sequences which show different versions of the scene.
- Fantasy Sequence: There are three. They show how a man could have lost his two arms, his two legs and his two eyes.
- Foreign Queasine: Parodied. The CNN journalist describes the criminal case of a Frenchman who ate the eyes of his victim as a new trend in French cuisine.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Ariane Felder is a misanthropist. She does not want to have any romantic or friendly relationship. However, she helps Bob Nolan to prove his innocence and she finally sacrifices her career for it.
- Law of Inverse Fertility: Ariane Felder does not want a baby. She has sex once when she is drunk. She gets pregnant.
- Married to the Job: Ariane Felder has no life apart from her job as a judge. She even works during New Year's Eve.
- New Year Has Come: The film starts with the New Year's Eve party where Ariane Felder gets drunk.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Charles Meatson, the "Famous Man-Eater", for real-life criminal Charles Manson.
- One-Night-Stand Pregnancy: Ariane Felder has sex once when she is drunk. She gets pregnant.
- Terminology Title: "Neuf mois ferme" is a legal expression which means a prison sentence of nine months, without suspension. There is obviously a reference to the duration of pregnancy too.
