Nobody Knows
Joe Nguyen, staff writer
March 6, 2005

In a small apartment in Tokyo, four siblings live together with their mother (You). One day, the mother goes away and leaves behind some money and a message asking her eldest son, a 12-year-old boy named Akira (Yuya Yagira), to look over his siblings.

The phrases “Coming-of-age” and “transcendental” were what I heard coming into this movie. In my mind, that signaled “artsy” or “boring.” Those words reminded me of a film I saw a while back entitled "Goodbye Dragon Inn" – a film so bad, I have yet to bring myself to write about it.

This is no "Goodbye Dragon Inn."

Ayu Kitaura and Momoko Shimizu in "Nobody Knows"

"Nobody Knows" is a deep story about a family fighting adversity. I found myself deeply immersed in this sad tale as the four young siblings basically fend for themselves without their mother, who was hardly there before she abandoned them. This movie just threw me into a roller-coaster of emotion as I watched life unfold for the four. Moments of happiness, anger, and sadness were all there.

At 141 minutes, this isn’t a short movie by any means and this was, by and the large, the biggest complaint I heard from others. I enjoyed the film though. Its slow methodic progression worked for me.

Even though the subject is incredibly sad and depressing, this is a really good movie that I enjoyed and would suggest to anyone who’s looking for a break from the fast pace of everyday life.

Joe gives "Nobody Knows":

Joe Nguyen is a staff writer for asiaXpress.com. You can reach Joe at joe@asiaxpress.com.

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