Keiko (YOU) moves into a new apartment building with her only son Akira (Yuya Yagira). That's what their new landlords believe, anyway. Moving in with two suitcases, they are opened - once the landlords are out of sight - to reveal Akira's two younger half-siblings, Shigeru (Hiei Kimura) and Yuki (Momoko Shimizu). But it doesn't end there. Akira is sent to the train station to meet Kyoko (Ayu Kitaura), his other sister, completing a family of five in a small apartment.
Having four children fathered by four different men, Keiko lacks a little commitment and responsibility. Soon she disappears off, telling Akira she has found another man, much to Akira's disbelieving amusement. As such, she soon disappears for an extended period, leaving Akira in charge with money for rent, bills and food. Here and there, she returns, bringing with her presents. But elders Akira and Kyoko know it will be short lived. Soon, her visits become less frequent; money being sent in envelopes in the post, until full abandonment is realised.
Akira, a twelve year-old, soon wants rid of his responsibility, trying to escape the apartment as much as possible, finding friends and inviting them round to play computer games, as well as playing for a local baseball team. But he is still drawn to his younger siblings, though with money now non-existent, with little for food, rent and bills. As such, the inevitable happens to the youngest and most vulnerable.
From the scenario it is possible to identify many possible flaws in the story. The lack of action from the landlord on the rent not being paid; and one of their apartments increasingly becoming a festering hovel must have been noticeable. The children's reaction themselves also may perhaps be difficult to fully accept for some, carrying on in their stride, not looking to adults for real action to save them from starvation.
But "Nobody Knows" is based on the real case of "The West Sugamo 4 Abandoned children Incident", where four unregistered children fathered by different men were abandoned by their mother as she left for a new lover. Over a period of six months, the eldest son was left in charge of his three younger siblings, resulting in the death of his younger sister; then buried close to his father's old place of work. As such, the unrealistic elements make the situation even more shocking at how an event would be allowed to happen so naturally.
The film was fifteen years in the making for Kore-eda, and over the decade-and-a-half later on its release, the social phenomenon on unnamed children without homes was in decline; and so the 2004 setting may not be up with the times, granddad. But this was something that still very much happened, and the ignorance of all involved is explored here by Kore-eda.
Not just to the specific situation in question, "Nobody Knows" looks at society ignoring children in general. The four dads have all abandoned their children before their mother, and Akira's pestering his mother's former lovers for a few quid - both of who claim to not be Yuki's father - shows a lack responsibility and an attitude of looking out for one's self; as well as black humour of their denial of parentage, but willingness to let the children suffer silently. Convenience store workers also help out: forging their mother's handwriting for New Year's presents and handing out leftover sushi (interchange between soundtrack vocalist Takako Tate and always-in-the-film Ryo Kase), but is a simple "give a man a fish..." solution, delaying the inevitable.
The addition of fifth "abandoned child" Saki (Hanae Kan) explores not just physical abandonment, but emotional: her parents not having a clue as to what is going on in her life, taking up enjo kosai, singing karaoke with paying men. In the Tokyo of "Nobody Knows", adults do not know, or choose to ignore, these children. While some adults may raise the question to Akira of contacting the authorities, he quickly shoots them down as to the mess it will create once they get involved. With the real case seeing all four children not registered as living humans, here Kore-eda highlights the ease with which people can slip through the authorities' net; easily lost and uncared for. This lack of legality perhaps explains the mother's abandonment, almost believing herself that the children did not exist.
The children's reaction is simply to carry on. They know no better themselves, the situation becoming the norm, living in ignorance, sticking to the strict and strange rules forced upon them. Telling anyone is simply not allowed. Kyoko still clings to her mother's clothes in the hope she'll one day return, despite the obvious cruelty. It followed that in the actual case the eldest was initially blamed for the death, natural that he would deflect his mother's cruelty and neglect on his younger siblings, resulting in death. If anything, the mother had at least trained her children well.
Kore-eda stated he was intrigued by the eldest son and why he chose to stick with his younger siblings, despite being at an age where all boys want to do is play with friends. "Nobody Knows" is his "embrace" of the boy as to the conflict and struggle that he went through at such a young age. Initially blamed for the incident as a fourteen year-old boy, he felt responsible, despite being someone abandoned himself by both of his parents, yet choosing to remain responsible himself.
The fictional Akira wants to be a typical twelve year-old boy, leaving his responsibilities, making friends and playing baseball. But, in sticking to his responsibilities and ingrained rules, he refuses to steal when pressured to by his friends, losing them in the process, now just a poor boy from a poor family. He refuses to go against his mother's rules, despite her breaking every rule herself.
In reality, this allowing others into their lives saw the start of the ending for the four siblings. Shown here with Akira's friends pushing Shigeru away as a nuisance when they come round to play computer games; the two sisters only able to sit and stare at them. The demise culminating in the death of the youngest, the boy regularly visited the make-shift grave he made for her; a clear sense of guilt and responsibility - his ignorance at the reality of it all.
Kore-eda said with "Nobody Knows" he wanted to paint a vision of Tokyo from the children's limited view. The film ends with the surviving children carrying on, walking into the future, accepting of their fate. Whether it's the children at the centre of the event, or the adults on the periphery choosing to ignore them, when dealing with society's underclass, nobody knows the reality of what is going on.
I was completing my MA in Sociology and Social Research when first watching the film.
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