Nobody Knows

The Fukushima family is just moving into a new apartment. Keiko, the mother of a 12-year-old boy named Akira, introduces him to the landlord as her only child. It quickly becomes clear, however, that she has concealed the existence of her other children – Kyōko (11), who wants to learn to play the piano; the energetic and boisterous rascal Shigeru; and the youngest, five-year-old Yuki. She hides them because she knows that it is very difficult for a single mother with a bunch of small children to rent an apartment, due to prejudices related, for example, to a potential lack of stable employment and financial stability, or fears of noise through the thin walls of Japanese apartments and the risk of complaints from neighbors. That is why only Akira is allowed to go outside, and none of the children attend school.

The two oldest children watch with growing anxiety as their mother’s returns “from work” take longer and longer. When Keiko falls in love again, she decides to leave for an extended stay with her new boyfriend, leaving the children in the care of her oldest son. And although she promises to return, she disappears for good, and Akira and his siblings are forced to fend for themselves.

All that remains of their mother are a few scattered items, reminders that she ever existed. Traces of bright nail polish on Kyōko’s fingers – which she’d decided to decorate – the alarmingly dwindling amount of money she left behind, the children’s unfulfilled dream of going to school, broken promises, and random men – Yuki’s potential fathers – whose lives are constantly falling apart, leaving them no room to think about helping other people’s children.

Hirokazu Koreeda drew inspiration for this story from real events that took place in the late 1980s in the Sugamo area (a part of Tokyo). However, in Nobody Knows, the Japanese director does not resort to cheap sensationalism – the kind of story that would be prime fodder for the tabloids. Instead, he attempts to capture something pure and genuine – in the relationships between the siblings, in the way he views his characters, and in the maturity they were forced to learn far too early.

Nobody Knows was acclaimed by audiences and critics around the world, earning Hirokazu Koreeda two Blue Ribbons from the Tokyo Film Critics Association for Best Director and Best Picture. Meanwhile, Yūya Yagira won the Best Actor award at Cannes for his portrayal of Akira’s eldest son as a 14-year-old, thereby setting a record – still standing today – as the youngest winner of an acting award at Cannes.