Kore-Eda's 2004 film 'Nobody Knows' follows the life of four children who are left alone in a small Tokyo apartment after their mother abandons them.
Yuya Yagira plays the eldest Akira who moves into the apartment with his mother (You), to the landlord's knowledge, as the only child. After moving in, the three other children are smuggled in suitcases and after dark. The youngest three are asked never to leave the apartment or be seen by anyone, giving Akira the sole responsibility of providing for them. From the first scenes of them moving in we get a sense that the mother is unstable and immature with her childish tones and playful manner. After leaving money for the children she sets off and is never seen again throughout the film. What follows is a gentle and slow story of what happens to the children after their mother has left. As they run out of money and the gas, water and electricity are cut off, they are slowly forced to rely on the goodwill of others (a local schoolgirl, the employees of a nearby convenience store) to get by. The natural lighting and the use of hand-held camera give this film a sense of realism, as one if following the children themselves. Wordless scenes of sleeping, general ennui and the children playing highlight the boredom brought on by their confinement amongst the slowly building filth. The film was shot over a period of approximately a year letting the viewer to experience the full four seasons of Japan and follow the children throughout the biting cold of winter, the joy of spring and the cherry blossoms (the first moment in the film where all four children lave the apartment to play in the open), the frustratingly humid and hot summer and the wet 'rainy season'. As mentioned by others before, this process narrative doesn't follow a usual story development and is more a meditation on the roles of adults and children in society. Are children always the immature ones? Are adults the ones who know best all the time? The only drawback of the film is its length but those that are drawn into this world will be curious to see what happens and stick with it until the end. The long wordless scenes and intermittent music add to the trance-like atmosphere of the film. I haven't seen Kore-Eda's earlier work but this is a great place to start, I'm keen to see more. A rich and rewarding film.
Yuya Yagira plays the eldest Akira who moves into the apartment with his mother (You), to the landlord's knowledge, as the only child. After moving in, the three other children are smuggled in suitcases and after dark. The youngest three are asked never to leave the apartment or be seen by anyone, giving Akira the sole responsibility of providing for them. From the first scenes of them moving in we get a sense that the mother is unstable and immature with her childish tones and playful manner. After leaving money for the children she sets off and is never seen again throughout the film. What follows is a gentle and slow story of what happens to the children after their mother has left. As they run out of money and the gas, water and electricity are cut off, they are slowly forced to rely on the goodwill of others (a local schoolgirl, the employees of a nearby convenience store) to get by. The natural lighting and the use of hand-held camera give this film a sense of realism, as one if following the children themselves. Wordless scenes of sleeping, general ennui and the children playing highlight the boredom brought on by their confinement amongst the slowly building filth. The film was shot over a period of approximately a year letting the viewer to experience the full four seasons of Japan and follow the children throughout the biting cold of winter, the joy of spring and the cherry blossoms (the first moment in the film where all four children lave the apartment to play in the open), the frustratingly humid and hot summer and the wet 'rainy season'. As mentioned by others before, this process narrative doesn't follow a usual story development and is more a meditation on the roles of adults and children in society. Are children always the immature ones? Are adults the ones who know best all the time? The only drawback of the film is its length but those that are drawn into this world will be curious to see what happens and stick with it until the end. The long wordless scenes and intermittent music add to the trance-like atmosphere of the film. I haven't seen Kore-Eda's earlier work but this is a great place to start, I'm keen to see more. A rich and rewarding film.
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