Nobody Knows (Dare mo shiranai) (Japan) (IFC Films) (2004) ****1/2Year: 2004iMDB
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda Cast: Yuya Yagira, Ayu Kitaura, Hiei Kimura, Momoko Shimizu, Hanae Kan, You
It is very hard to create true drama without being overbearing or preachy. It is also hard to use child actors and find the thin line where they're neither unnaturally overacting nor too naturally playing their own selves. Japan's Dare mo shirani (Nobody Knows) succeeds however on every aspect. This film was inspired by a real event known as the "Affair of the Four Abandoned Children of Nishi-Sugamo." This affair happened 16 years ago, in 1988. Born of different fathers, these children never went to school and didn't legally exist because their births were never declared.
Slow paced yet immersive, using every shot to the maximum, the movie only reminded me of the animated masterpiece Grave of the Fireflies which I thought to be unrivaled drama until now. Director Hirokazu Koreeda manages the impossible creating a similarly powerful story within the confines of using real actors instead of animation.
Nobody Knows premiered in 2004 at the Cannes film festival where it was nominated for the Palme D'Or and won the Best Actor award for Yagira's amazing performance as 12 year old Akira who is left in charge of his younger siblings by the reckless mother.
Posted by TheCasualCritic on March 18, 2005 03:35 AM | TrackBack