Mr. Nobody (2009)

A boy stands on a station platform as a train is about to leave. Should he go with his mother or stay with his father? Infinite possibilities arise from this decision. As long as he doesn't choose, anything is possible.

Director:

Jaco Van Dormael

Writer:

Jaco Van Dormael

Stars:

Jared Leto, Sarah Polley, Diane Kruger

11 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jared Leto	...	Nemo Adult / Old Nemo
Sarah Polley	...	Adult Elise
Diane Kruger	...	Anna Adult
Linh Dan Pham	...	Adult Jean (as Linh-Dan Pham)
Rhys Ifans	...	Father Nemo
Natasha Little	...	Mother Nemo
Toby Regbo	...	Nemo age 15
Juno Temple	...	Anna age 15
Clare Stone	...	Elise age 15
Thomas Byrne	...	Nemo age 9
Audrey Giacomini	...	Jean age 15
Laura Brumagne	...	Anna age 9
Allan Corduner	...	Dr. Feldheim
Daniel Mays	...	Young Journalist
Michael Riley	...	Harry

Storyline

In the year 2092, one hundred eighteen year old Nemo is recounting his life story to a reporter. He is less than clear, often times thinking that he is only thirty-four years of age. But his story becomes more confusing after he does focus on the fact of his current real age. He tells of his life at three primary points in his life: at age nine (when his parents divorced), age sixteen and age thirty-four. The confusing aspect of the story is that he tells of alternate life paths, often changing course with the flick of a decision at each of those ages. One life path has him ultimately married to Elise, a depressed woman who never got over the unrequited love she had for a guy named Stefano when she was a teenager and who asked Nemo to swear that when she died he would sprinkle her ashes on Mars. A second life path has him married to Jean. Their life is one of luxury but one also of utter boredom. And a third life path has him in a torrid romance with his step-sister Anna, the two who,...

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Plot Keywords:

multiple outcomes | nonlinear timeline | butterfly effect | time | future | 

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Taglines:

If you never make a choice, anything is possible.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality/nudity, brief strong language and violent images.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Belgium Germany Canada France USA UK

Language:

English Mohawk

Release Date:

26 September 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gospodin Niko

Filming Locations:

Japanese Garden, Hasselt, Belgium

Box Office

Budget:

$47,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,612, 3 November 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,600, 1 December 2013

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,331,721, 30 May 2010

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pan Européenne,Virtual Films,Christal Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

141 min 138 min 157 min (Director's Cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The street where Nemo's parents first meet is called Butterfly Lane N.S., in reference to the butterfly effect.

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Goofs

(around 2:24:51) the young Nemo, having ran into the forest and thus did not follow his mother to Canada, blows a leaf which leads to the adult him and Anna being reunited again at the lighthouse. However, this scenario is impossible because he only meets and falls in love with Anna if he moves to Canada with his mother.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Nemo Nobody adult: Like most living creatures, the pigeon quickly associates the pressing of the level with the reward. But when a timer releases a seed automatically every 20 seconds, the pigeon wonders, what did I do to deserve this? If it was flapping its wings at the time, it will continue to flap, convinced that its actions have the decisive influence on what happens. We call this "pigeon superstition".
Nemo Nobody adult: [cut to Nemo on a gurney] What did I do to deserve this?

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Connections

References Fight Club (1999)

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Soundtracks

Three Pieces in Old Style for String Orchestra
Written by Henryk Mikolaj Górecki
Performed by I Fiamminghi
Conducted by Rudolf Werthen
© Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd
(p) Telarc International.
By kind permission of Telarc International (www.telarc.com) and Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd

User Reviews

A Mix of Great Things

As I'm writing this, my brain is still analyzing and thinking of "Mr Nobody" which I just saw at the Stockholm film festival. Everything from the beginning to the end, moved me. This could be one of the greatest masterpieces this year and I'm hoping to see this score multiple awards of different kinds.

Jaco Van Dormal was not a that was stored in my memory, and I had a hard time remember just who he is. After this movie I'll never forget. "Mr Nobody" was a movie with many questions and theories. Confusing but still dazzling. The shooting was really great, I love the type of filming when you cross from scene to scene with a continuent flow of events. When "Nemo", the lead character switched from dimensions it was often expressed by him waking up from a dream. This was very interesting but I don't really know what to make out of it. Life is nothing but an illusion, perhaps?