Four young children are secreted into a new flat by their transient immature mother, who decides to set down ground rules that will enable her to leave them to fend for themselves for long periods of time. The mother leaves, under the pretense of work, and the children must take care of each other.

CRITIQUE

Nobody Knows opens innocently enough, when Keiko, a young mother, rents a flat from a landlord for herself and her son. The façade is quickly broken when Akira, her 12 year-old son, opens their suitcases in their apartment, and out pop two younger siblings. He takes a solo walk to the train station to meet another sister, and they’re one big happy clandestine family again. We learn from Keiko’s rambling that they had to flee their last home (too much noise from the youngest, Shigeru) and that the children each have different fathers. Then she sits them all down to explain the new house rules: no loud noise and no going outside (not even on the small balcony), except for Akira, the oldest, who can venture for groceries. Keiko leaves some money and takes off after a few days, returning a month later, drunk, as if nothing had happened. She spends the night and then splits again, promising to be home by Christmas. But winter turns into spring, and life goes on for this castaway family.

Throughout the rest of this deeply moving and intriguing documentary-like film the children must, for the most part, rely solely on each other. Akira (Yûya Yagira, who won the best actor award at Cannes 2004) is in almost every frame of the beautifully photographed work, and carries the story with his range of facial emotion. The sights, sounds, and (almost) smells of this little hopeless den lost in this big city is almost too much to bear.  But the viewer is drawn in, a morbid curiosity to find out how low the depths of despair can go, and rooting for their survival. Knowing that this is based on a true event makes it even more horrific.

Nobody Knows left me ultimately saddened, with many horrifying and courageous images stuck in my mind. I was riveted throughout its 141 minute running time.

THE VIDEO

Nobody Knows has been transferred to DVD in its original widescreen version, and fills the screen with imagery: the children running on the long, concrete staircases, playing in the uninhabited park (all the other children are at school), the changing of the seasons as reflected in the tree blossoms, the small image of Akira against the backdrop of the shopping district, the trains zipping people to faraway destinations. It is breathtaking in its documentarian scope.

THE AUDIO

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack gives great expanse to the family’s plight, but the dialog is minimal. It’s almost pantomime, but background noise fills the atmosphere.

THE EXTRAS

There are absolutely no extras, not even previews.

FINAL THOUGHTS