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Nobody Knows is a Japanese movie that tells the true story of four kids abandoned by their mother alone in an apartment. The kids, except for the oldest brother, are never allowed to go outside or even show themselves to anyone. Once their reckless mother goes off to visit her new boyfriend and leaves the oldest brother, Akira (12 years) in charge. She never returns. When the money runs out, Akira has to find a way how to take care of himself and his siblings.

Now this story might sound incredibly cruel, but in fact the true story is even more grisly and dark (you can read it up here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affair_of_ ... _of_Sugamo). Some changes have been made regarding the story, but overall the movie is a pretty unflinching portrayal of Akira's struggle to take care of his siblings, of their loneliness, longing for companions and at the same time attempting to stay undiscovered by the landlord and other adults. It's actually pretty incredible that the director manages to tell this story without ever getting too sentimental or depressing. The premise itself is depressing, but certainly not the execution. The movie is a showcase of subtle cruelty and sweet sadness. Some moments that could have easily resulted in very dramatic and tears-filled situations (they certainly would have in a Western film) are portrayed very quietly and almost poetically. As I have said, this movie is sad, but it is not depressing.

Aside from the restrained direction, it's definitely the acting of the kids that makes this film. I can't remember any single drama in recent memory that fully relies on the acting of four sub-14 year old kids. The movie is on their shoulders and they all pull it off well. Each of this kids inhabits their characters and make it their own. The most outstanding performance is delivered by Yûya Yagir who plays Akira. His struggle between keeping himself and his siblings alive, remaining undetected and longing for a life outside of the apartment is beautifully portrayed - all in the same quiet and restrained way as the rest of the movie.

Nobody Knows is not a flawless film. Its running time is too long with over two hours. I don't oppose long running times on principle, but here it just seemed that the first 30 minutes could have easily been edited. The character of the mother is presented in too much of a detail and it actually takes some time until the kids are abandoned for good. It could have been done shorter. Also, while I did like the poetic ending of the movie, I would have liked for it to have more of a conclusion especially for some characters. In any case, I'd recommend this movie to anyone here and knowing the KJ tastes, I'm sure that a lot of you would love it, in particular kypade, trixster and makeshift. It's certainly the best live-action Japanese film I have seen to date.

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Seriously, folks, you need to check it out! All of ya!