Review of Nobody Knows (2004) by Mary H — 28 Jan 2008

Whew! we all hear sad, shocking stuff that goes on in the world, and definitely the kind of life these children lived we can only imaging, but to take your audience through it, in all the sensory detail that reminds us -- this is real! somebody went through this -- is effective at conveying how achingly sad and beautiful the world is.

I like that this is a fiction based on true stories. Because fiction has the power to tell stories about what actually happened as well as give meaning to things that happen. The film does not tell from a psychologically damaged point of view, as can the case in some traumatic dramas.

Instead, it utilizes scenes shot in real time and with such vivid sensory detail that you're living the moments there, as a (presumably adult) viewer. Through this sensory detail, the viewer inhabits the lives of the children.

Not their minds -- about that you can only imagine. The viewer is constantly outside, just going along with the flow of events. The rawness of their reality, however, has a charm adults would not have, as their view is an inherently innocent one, longings and other feelings expressed with crayons and candy, their language toy pianos and little squeaky baby slippers.

I don't know if the title has the same effect in Japanese as it does in English, but it has a powerful effect for a story that was based on real events. Nobody knows what's happening with these kids (and perhaps kids in general).

And nobody really knows what to say about something like this.