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Nobody Knows 誰も知らない
The movie starts off with a mother and her four children.
One day, the mother and one
of her sons move into a small apartment.
They end up hiding the other three
children in boxes and luggage.
That’s because these days, most landlords in
Tokyo don’t accept mothers with many
young children for fear of troublemaking and causing a burden on the other
tenants. All of the mother’s children don’t go to school.
The
oldest son is taking care of almost all the housework and rearing the other
small children until the mother comes home late at night. The other children are
not allowed to go out for fear of being evicted if they are discovered by
others. Actually, they seem to be prisoners in their own home. The children are
not sure what their mother is doing for a living. The mother seems to have a
boyfriend. In fact, each child’s father is different.
One day, the son
complains to his mother about her attitude towards life.
She talks back to
her son saying, Can’t I pursue my happiness? Do I have to sacrifice my life?
Basically, it’s your father’s fault!!? After several days, the mother goes away.
So, the kids end up living a life like that of a family of abandoned cats. No
adults are aware of their existence. They build their own network of contacts
and establish friendships with a few minors. However? Hmm, I should not go into
any more detail.
This movie is like a documentary. The story moves
slowly and the kids? lives are vividly portrayed. In this point, this movie is
similar to? Lost In Translation. The movie’s cinematography succeeds in
capturing every single sensitive expression that the kids make. The story in
itself is bitter and sad. (There are several pleasant episodes.) Unlike other
tearjerker movies, this movie is subdued, and all the better for that. I was
gradually moved to tears; the effects of which have lasted until the present. I
can never forget every single one of the oldest son’s facial expressions.
Actually, the young 14-year-old actor, Youya Yagira, won the best actor award
from the last Cannes Film Festival. It’s definitely worthwhile seeing him in
this movie.
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