Nobody Knows (2005)

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

I honestly don't know what to say. I'm actually crying right now, I've just finished watching the movie and it was outstanding. The actors were amazing, and the story, well... It's one of the best movies I've ever seen, I'm definitely giving it 10 out of 10.After their mom left I wished I could help them in any way possible, it was just heartbreaking to watch (even through it was just a film) and not to be able to do anything :( I'm not going to say anything more, you all NEED to see this movie. You won't regret it, I promise.Hopefully there will be more movies like this one in the future, but less real cases :)

Nobody Knows tells a story of how four children, abandoned by their mother and never officially recognized by authority, struggle to survive on themselves in modern-day affluent Japan. This interesting premise, coupled with the film's wide critical acclaim on both IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, compelled me into renting the DVD. As the credit rolls, all I was left with were disappointed expectations. Here is why.Character development is what we look for in realist films. With Bicycle Thieves, we feel for the father's desperate struggle to feed his family. With Lilya 4-ever, we feel for Lilya's innocence and pain in being exploited of her dream of a better life. Nobody Knows does a mediocre job, at best, in developing characters that gain interest and sympathy from the audience. Even when the film's primary subjects are children -- the people we always care most about, I did not feel too much of the sadness and worry one is bound to have witnessing a group of children go through hardships and struggle. I did not know what to feel about the brother character; is he supposed to be a caring and courageous brother, or a normal kid who succumbs to peer pressure and just wants to have fun? The mother character is supposed to be a grossly negligent, irresponsible, immature, and loathsome person; yet I could hardly feel anything against her. In other words Nobody Knows's characters are forgettable at best, even when the young actors' performances are absolutely wonderful -- you just wish the script develops the characters in such a way that we can feel more for them.The film's highly realist depiction of the children's day-to-day life also makes it rather uneventful and dull; many scenes just drag on without anything really happening. A 140-minute runtime is probably over the top -- compared to Bicycle Thieves, a film with similar themes that delivers within just 90 minutes. For cinematography and camera-work, I felt perhaps they should focus more on the cramped and messy conditions of the apartment rather than on outdoor shots.In brief, what Nobody Knows delivers is a sad and poignant story about children's vulnerability and the loss of innocence. It gives the viewer powerful emotional impacts as well as perspectives into a human experience. However, what the film does not deliver is compelling character development and gripping storytelling -- something I consider to be of essential importance in making a movie great and memorable. My rating of Nobody Knows: 7 stars out of 10.

I watched this movie in 2005 on the flight to Osaka. I couldn't believe the story. I couldn't believe that this could ever happen in Japan where children's lives are controlled every minute by teachers. When I got access to Google and checked out the story I couldn't believe this movie story was based on a real life situation. The young lead actor is beautiful, his skills in this story belie what he could do (hope he gets more movie opportunities). The story needs this kind of lead role. Sadly I found the other kids' acting to be basic -- but the story really relies on the lead actor. He needs an Oscar or some award for his work in this movie. Watch this movie. But be sure you are not distracted, watch it from beginning to end. You will be crying at the end. But not necessarily crying from sadness but from pleasure that the kids finally have their act together. But also sadness because they still have a long way to go.

Hirokazu Koreeda's 'Dare Mo Shiranai' tells the heartbreaking story of four abandoned young siblings who struggle to survive in an apartment. The apartment was restricted to two people (where no little children were allowed). It is known that Akira and his mother were the only tenants thus the three other children are living in secret (and are not allowed to leave the apartment or make any noise in case the neighbours got suspicious). While Akira is the only one allowed to leave the apartment, he is forbidden to go to school. After their self-centred mother's long term departure due to her 'work', 12-year-old Akira, the eldest one, serves as a parent striving to provide food for his brother and sisters but he too is only a child and how will he, in a world run by adults, support his siblings? The director tells this unique story in a very heartfelt, sensitive way. 'Dare Mo Shiranai' is based on a true event (which was far more harrowing) but I can see that he might have been inspired by movies like 'Hotaru No Haka' and perhaps William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies'. With the minimal use of music, special effects the film has an unpolished look which makes the characters' sense of isolation and despair all the more authentic to the viewer. The whimsical background score is cleverly used and it brings a poetic feel. The child actors are excellent. It is Yûya Yagira who confidently carries the film but each one of these kids deliver very natural performances. It's hard to tell whether they were acting. Moreover because the film is sort of shot in documentary format it is easy to forget that one is watching a film. I wonder how the director got the kids to act so restrained. 'Dare Mo Shiranai' is a beautiful film that depicts the importance of a responsible adult figure in children's lives but it also demonstrates that children too are strong even though inexperienced. Yet, no matter what, the importance of a significant nurturing adult is crucial for a child's development.