Dare mo shiranai (2004)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Hirokazu Koreeda

Writer:

Hirokazu Koreeda (writer)

Release Date:

21 October 2004 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In Tokyo, the reckless single mother Keiko moves to a small apartment with her twelve years old son Akira Fukushima and hidden in the luggage...

Plot Keywords:

Apartment | Luggage | Home Alone | Crayon | Tokyo Japan

Awards:

13 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Yûya Yagira	...	Akira Fukushima
Ayu Kitaura	...	Kyoko
Hiei Kimura	...	Shigeru
Momoko Shimizu	...	Yuki
Hanae Kan	...	Saki
You	...	Keiko, the mother
Kazuyoshi Kushida	...	Yoshinaga, The Landlord
Yukiko Okamoto	...	Eriko Yoshinaga
Sei Hiraizumi	...	Mini-market Manager
Ryo Kase	...	Mini-market Employee
Takako Tate	...	Mini-market teller
Yuichi Kimura	...	Sugihara (Taxi Driver)
Kenichi Endo	...	Pachinko Parlor Employee
Susumu Terajima	...	Baseball coach

Also Known As:

Nobody Knows (International: English title) (USA) (literal English title)
Daremo shiranai - Nobody knows (Japan) (poster title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements and some sexual references.

Runtime:

141 min | Argentina:141 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Sweden:11 | Taiwan:R-12 | Japan:U | Hungary:16 | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | Italy:T | Hong Kong:IIA | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:Livre | Finland:K-11 | Germany:6 | Netherlands:MG6 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Bandai Visual Company

Trivia:

Hirokazu Koreeda wrote the first draft of the screenplay fifteen years before the film was actually made. At that point it was titled "Wonderful Sunday" and unfolded from Akira's subjective point of view, ending with a fantasy sequence in which the entire family (the children, the mother and the various fathers) are reunited for a Sunday outing.

Quotes:

Keiko, the mother: Now that we've moved into a new home, I'm gonna explain the rules to you, one more time. Let's promise to keep 'em, okay?
Yuki: Okay. How many are there?
Keiko, the mother: Okay, first of all: No loud voices or screaming. Can you do that?
Yuki: I can.
Keiko, the mother: Okay, next: No going outside.
Yuki: Okay.
Keiko, the mother: Can you do that? No even out on the veranda.
Yuki: Okay, Mommy.
Keiko, the mother: "Okay, Mommy." Can you keep that promise?
Yuki: Sure!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Les chansons d'amour (2007)

Soundtrack:

Houseki

Fight for Survival

In Tokyo, the reckless single mother Keiko (You) moves to a small apartment with her twelve years old son Akira Fukushima (Yûya Yagira) and hidden in the luggage, his siblings Kyoko (Ayu Kitaura), Shigeru (Hiei Kimura) and Yuki (Momoko Shimizu). The children have different fathers and do not have schooling, but they have a happy life with their mother. When Keiko finds a new boyfriend, she leaves the children alone, giving some money to Akira and assigning him to take care of his siblings. When the money finishes, Akira manages to find means to survive with the youngsters without power supply, gas or water at home, and with the landlord asking for the rental.

"Dare mo Shiranai" is a sensitive movie based on a true and very sad story. The performances of the children are amazing, highlighting the look of Yûya Yagira, and the drama is developed in a slow, but suitable pace. The direction is effective and the music score is absolutely adequate to the film. However, living in Rio de Janeiro, where we see homeless children begging on the streets everywhere, the terrible situation of Akira and his siblings does not impress the way it certainly does in First World countries. The abandoned children of the film have an apartment to live and food to eat, what does not happen in Third World countries, where famine children live on the streets in a sadder and unacceptable reality. The open conclusion is a little disappointing, since it does not bring any message of hope or lack of hope to the poor children. It seems that life goes on only. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Ninguém Pode Saber" ("Nobody Can Know")