Nobody Knows (film)

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Movie
German title Nobody Knows
Original title 誰 も 知 ら な い Dare mo shiranai
Country of production Japan
original language Japanese
Publishing year 2004
length 141 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Hirokazu Koreeda
script Hirokazu Koreeda
production Hirokazu Koreeda
music Gontiti
camera Yutaka Yamazaki
cut Hirokazu Koreeda
occupation

Nobody Knows ( Japanese 誰 も 知 ら な い , Dare mo shiranai , alternative TV title: Nobody Knows ) is a feature film by the Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda from 2004 .

action

The action takes about a year and begins in the fall. The single mother Keiko moves into a new apartment with her four children, each with a different father. Only the eldest son, twelve-year-old Akira, is introduced to the neighbors. The three younger siblings Kyoko, Shigeru and Yuki are secretly smuggled into the apartment and are not allowed to leave it. The children are also forbidden from going to school, stepping on the balcony or being loud.

One day, Keiko disappears, leaving Akira a message to take care of his younger siblings. She has a new lover, from whom she keeps the children a secret. The rules imposed by the mother are observed even after she leaves. Only Akira leaves the apartment to go shopping. After a month, Keiko returns one last time for a day, bringing the children money and gifts and picking up some of their belongings. She breaks her promise to be back by Christmas.

Still isolated from the outside world, the siblings stick together in their prison and set up a loving home for themselves. At the beginning of spring they leave the house together for the first time and enjoy their new freedom. As money becomes scarce and electricity, gas and water are gradually turned off, the situation begins to worsen. In summer their physical neglect becomes visible. After all, the youngest child, Yuki, has a fatal accident.

background

The film is based on a true story that happened in 1988 in Nishi-Sugamo, Toshima , Tokyo , with some changes .

In fact, there were a total of five children who were anonymized with children A, B, C, D and E in order to protect the children in the media. Child C died under unexplained circumstances shortly after birth in 1984.

In the autumn of 1987, the mother left the children in the apartment alone so that they had to look after themselves. In April 1988, Child E was killed by two other children - acquaintances of Child A - and then buried in a forest by Child A and one of the other two remaining children.

After the landlord informed the public authorities in July 1988, they went to the apartment and found the neglected and malnourished children and the body of child C, which the mother had kept in the apartment since the child's death.

The mother surrendered to the authorities and was sentenced to three years in prison. Child A's two acquaintances received a youth sentence. Child A has been shown to be involved in the elimination of the victim. Due to the circumstances, however, a youth penalty was waived. Child A was placed in a home for the physically and mentally handicapped, where children B and D were also placed. Information about child E unknown.

After the mother finished her sentence, she applied for renewed custody of children B and D. It is not known what became of children A and E.

On the DVD of the film, the director Hirokazu Koreeda stated in an interview that he was very moved by this case and never let go. With his film he wanted to show the viewer that there must have been something beautiful in the children's lives.

Awards

The film took part in the 2004 Cannes Film Festival for the Palme d' Or. Fourteen-year-old Yūya Yagira was named Best Actor for his portrayal of Akira .

At the Japanese Academy Awards , YOU , who played the mother, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, but had to admit defeat to Masami Nagasawa ( Sekai no Chūshin de, Ai o sakebu ).

The film was Japan's entry for an Oscar nomination in 2005 in the category of Best Foreign Language Film , but it was neither nominated nor awarded.

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