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 | stepbrother stepsister relationship | time | 

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Taglines:

Nothing is real, everything 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

While on a break from filming the Neanderthal scenes, Sarah Polley received a call from a friend, who informed her that a Toronto Star reporter had discovered that her biological father was not Michael Polley, but Montreal film producer Harry Gulkin, whom her mother had an affair with in 1978 while performing in a play at the Centaur Theater in Montreal. Sarah, who had already discovered the truth herself, contacted the reporter and ran outside to a park bench in full make up and began crying as she convinced the reporter to sit on the story as she had not yet told Michael and wasn't sure that she wanted to. The reporter agreed and afterwards, Sarah decided to create a documentary film about her mother and the events that led to her conception and her family learning the truth - Stories We Tell (2012).

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Goofs

After correctly stating that the left typing hand's home position is over A,S,D,F, the narrator then says that the right typing hand's home position is over H,J,K,L, but in reality it's over J,K,L & semicolon.

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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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Alternate Versions

The director's cut has 1 re-cut, 23 extended scenes and 12 additional scenes integrated into the original footage, running about 15 minutes and 40 seconds longer than the theatrical version.

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Connections

References The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

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Soundtracks

Mister Sandman
Written by Pat Ballard
Performed by Gob
Courtesy of Edwin H. Morris & Co. Inc
(p) Landspeed Records
© Edwin H. Morris & Co. Inc
By kind permission of Warner Chappell Music France and Landspeed Records

User Reviews

Astonishing and profoundly moving!!

This is the first time I have felt the need to post a review of a film, but the experience that this movie provided was so unique and profoundly moving that I feel compelled to post something of my thoughts.

I have just finished watching Mr Nobody after knowing nothing about the movie beforehand (perhaps a good thing as I may have avoided it otherwise), but was simply astonished by the originality, cinematography, acting, script, soundtrack and profoundly thought provoking ideas.

I realise that this film will not be to everyones taste, certainly I think it will not be fully comprehended by the younger generation as it does require a certain lifetime of experiences to relate, such as birth, love, marriage, children, separation, divorce, death, life changing choices etc.., but nevertheless it does make you deeply consider your own past decisions and future choices, and everyone of all ages will have made and will make these decisions.

The production values are very high and would not look out of place in a 'hollywood blockbuster' but it is the mix of cinematography and music mingled with the dramatic scenarios that make it truly memorable.

It is a difficult film to describe as it does not follow a traditional narrative structure, but that is what makes it so unique and truly memorable. An experience that will hopefully stay with you long after you have seen it. It certainly made for a hugely memorable experience for me. Others may differ in opinion, but I don't think anyone can argue that it is not intelligent, fresh, original and thought provoking.

Well done to all involved in providing something original, intelligent and very entertaining.