Absolutely essential viewing. Slow, subtle and sublime. Wonderfully shot and written the story unravels at a calm pace building up to a devastating climax. Incredible performances from the youths make this a painfully naturalistic and at the same time heartwarming film about family, friendship and responsibility.

[font=Century Gothic][color=red]Warning: do not go see "Nobody Knows" if you have Attention Deficit Disorder or have a short attention span. The movie starts slow and eventually moves to a deliberate speed. You need to be patient with this film.[/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#808000][/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=darkorange]"Nobody Knows" starts out with a mother and 12 year old son, Akira, moving into a new apartment. Since the landlord says her neighbors might have problems with larger families, her two younger children arrive via suitcases, and a fourth is snuck in the dark of night from the train station.(None of the other children are enrolled in school. And all of the children have different fathers.) The mother tends to arrive home late after work and then after leaving a quick note, leaves the children to their devices for an extended period of time. Then, the money begins to run low.(Perhaps it is telling that the mother is the only parent we see in the entire film.) [/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=darkorange][/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=darkorange]Basically, "Nobody Knows" is a heartbreaking movie with an open ending that is both happy and sad. It is not flashy in any way, seeking to emphasize the mundane day-to-day activities. On the minus side, it does tend to overdo the children-as-baggage metaphor.[/color][/font]