Nobody Knows
by Hirokazu Koreeda
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ayu Kitaura, Hanae Kan, Hiei Kimura, Momoko Shimizu, Y?ya YagiraDirector: Hirokazu Koreeda
Cinematographer: Yutaka Yamasaki
Editor: Hirokazu Koreeda
Producer: Hirokazu Koreeda
Writer: Hirokazu Koreeda
Producer: Satoshi Kono
Producer: Toshiro Uratani
Producer: Yutaka Shigenobu
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Japanese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled)
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 141 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-09-13
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of Nobody Knows
Movie Review: A Moving Story
Summary: 5 Stars
A very long, slow moving film, clocks in at 2 hours 20 minutes. The entire film, the editing, the sound, all move very slowly and deliberately. The film lopes along while building a remarkable story.
The film is a case of not perfect production, not perfect sound, not perfect acting, not perfect focus, but incredible power, a captivating movie. The editing pace is just perfection. The unveiling speed of the story is perfection. Even with all the imperfections, this film is virtually a masterpiece, a slot moving one, but a masterpiece.
It's well known starting this film, these young children are going to be left alone to live in an apartment by themselves, and that the film is fictional but based on a true story. The intrigue of when it will happen and how, is so wonderful. Every 10 or 15 minutes the film started this reviewer thinking about different things. And the film seemed to propose answers to those questions.
The children in this film are remarkable. The oldest son is not a stellar actor, but he has a magnetism.
The film has a documentary feel to it. But it is a dramatic film, not documentary. The director knows exactly how long to hold on certain scenes and how to cut away quickly in other instances.
This is a bleak film. It is dark. But there is a light inside these wonderful children, how they deal with the cards they have received. How life goes on. The ending is a true shock.
The DVD has no bonus features. The film is rated PG-13, there is no violence, no language, and no nudity. It is likely younger children could watch this film. It is presented in Japanese with English subtitles. No worry, there is not a lot of dialog.
Summary of Nobody Knows
Based on true events that shocked Japan, this story of abandoned siblings is a "harrowing, tender film" (The New York Times) that "unfolds with leisurely beauty" (LA Weekly). Filmed over a year and featuring a performance by 12-year-old Yagira Yuya that won the Best Actor prize at the 2004 Cannes International Film Festival, this "haunting" (Newsday) tale is "heartbreakingly brilliant" (The Boston Globe). A childlike mother of four sneaks her children into their new apartment as if it were a game. One of the game's rules is that only Akira, the oldest, can go outside. Their mother leaves, first for a month, then possibly forever. As the money runs out and the utilities are shut off, Akira struggles to take care of his brother and sisters, determined that they stay safe and together.Nobody Knows, an extraordinary film from Japanese director Kore-Eda Hirokazu, is a heartbreaking and touching story about how selfish a single mother can be to her four children, and how resilient children can be. Kicked out of several apartments for her large brood, Keiko (Japanese pop star You) sneaks them in to a new one (two inside the suitcases) and goes over the house rules: No loud noises. They must stay hidden inside the apartment all day, every day. Only Akira, the oldest, leaves to do grocery shopping while she works. He also makes dinner while Keiko goes out on dates (implying to her children that she's looking for a rich husband so that they can all live in a big house together).
One day, Keiko (not a villain, but an unsympathetic, helium-voiced child herself) announces she's going away for a few weeks to work. She soon emerges every few months, only to drop off money before taking off again, at one point, for good. Akira forgoes any normal 12-year-old's upbringing (even school) to play mother, father, even Santa Claus to his siblings. There's a trapped feeling in Nobody Knows. For the younger kids, it's the inability to escape to the outside world. For Akira, it's seeing the outside world and knowing he has too many responsibilities to participate in it--when he tries, the results are disastrous. As the children grow up and resources become more scarce, the film's tenacity to show every painful detail of their existence slows the pace to almost a standstill. Still, it's a lovely, haunting tale beset with unforced performances from its young actors, particularly Yagira, who won the best actor prize at Cannes. -- Ellen A. Kim
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