Nobody Knows, by Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, is not just a film, but a touching and, at times, painfully real experience about child abandonment. Based on a true story that occurred in Tokyo in 1988, the film follows the lives of four siblings, children of different fathers, who live hidden in a small apartment with their mother. Their precarious, yet loving, life changes drastically when their mother disappears, leaving the eldest son, 12-year-old Akira, in charge of caring for his younger siblings.
What follows is a portrait of a silent struggle for survival. The film doesn't resort to melodrama. On the contrary, Kore-eda's genius lies in his subtle, observational approach. The camera follows the children closely, capturing their routine of washing dishes, rationing food, and, above all, maintaining normalcy. The mother's absence is felt in every scene, and the children's innocence, which is gradually lost to the harsh reality, is portrayed with a delicacy that breaks the heart.
The performances of the child cast, especially Yuya Yagira, who plays Akira and won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for this role, are impressive. His performance is restrained and complex, conveying the mix of responsibility, frustration, and longing that defines his character. Small gestures and glances say more than any dialogue.
Nobody Knows is a film about the resilience of the human spirit, the solidarity between siblings, and, ironically, how invisible some people can be to society. The neighbors' indifference and the absence of responsible adults convey a powerful social critique without the need for explicit discourse. The film's silence, often broken only by ambient sounds, reinforces the sense of isolation and the harsh reality of these children.
It's a masterpiece of contemporary cinema that, despite its difficult subject matter, offers melancholic beauty and a profound reflection on what it means to be a family and what it means to survive. An essential film for anyone seeking a human, sensitive, and memorable narrative.
What follows is a portrait of a silent struggle for survival. The film doesn't resort to melodrama. On the contrary, Kore-eda's genius lies in his subtle, observational approach. The camera follows the children closely, capturing their routine of washing dishes, rationing food, and, above all, maintaining normalcy. The mother's absence is felt in every scene, and the children's innocence, which is gradually lost to the harsh reality, is portrayed with a delicacy that breaks the heart.
The performances of the child cast, especially Yuya Yagira, who plays Akira and won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for this role, are impressive. His performance is restrained and complex, conveying the mix of responsibility, frustration, and longing that defines his character. Small gestures and glances say more than any dialogue.
Nobody Knows is a film about the resilience of the human spirit, the solidarity between siblings, and, ironically, how invisible some people can be to society. The neighbors' indifference and the absence of responsible adults convey a powerful social critique without the need for explicit discourse. The film's silence, often broken only by ambient sounds, reinforces the sense of isolation and the harsh reality of these children.
It's a masterpiece of contemporary cinema that, despite its difficult subject matter, offers melancholic beauty and a profound reflection on what it means to be a family and what it means to survive. An essential film for anyone seeking a human, sensitive, and memorable narrative.
Was this review helpful to you?
