Review of Nobody Knows (2004) by Juan B — 09 Nov 2007

Hirokazu Koreeda's award-winning film "Nobody Knows" is based on the 1988 "the affair of the four abandoned children of Sugamo" in which he does an excellent job of portraying such a dire event. The film runs around 2 hours and 20 minutes which could be an extremely long time for someone who's not use to the film's very slow pacing. However, the pacing shouldn't turn one away from watching this film; after all, the wait is very enriching and rewarding. The cinematography is good but not spectacular as a Wong-kar Wai film or an Ingmar Bergman film. However, what caught my attention are the lush colors of metropolitan Japan, which is quite important in this film to show how contemporary society is so extremely fast yet people are unaware of this tragic event is occurring. Koreeda borrows a lot of Yasujiro Ozu's (known for his films Floating Weeds and Tokyo Story) filmmaking style, such as his use of static shots, restricting movement and fluidity, and so on. However, allowing these static shots makes the viewer pays close attention to the little, intricate detail in the film's scenes. Film buff note: Koreeda does use a lot of the stationary tatami shots that Ozu was known for.

The acting in this film is top notch despite many of the main actors' little or no formal acting training. Yuya Yagira (who plays Akira) deserves all honors for his acting abilities and I do hope to see him continue to grow as an excellent actor. You's (that's the actual actress's name) depiction of the mother Keiko may seem annoying though it fits well with her character, which makes her seem child-like rather than as a motherly figure. Although the film has little to no dialogue, the movements and intricacies of each child's facial feature truly shows how emotion can very well be carried nicely through the impact of a scene.

Only a few filmmakers (Yasujiro Ozu and Ingmar Bergman) can truly understand and capture the human soul through film. The children's love for one another despite the hardships of poverty is a testament to all that love conquers all. A highly recommended film for all, despite the fact it is a foreign film. Do not hold those tears, for life is not worth holding back.