Having simply watched After the Storm, I had a little bit of time to kill earlier than trying to hurry for No one Is aware of. I obtained actual meals for dinner, puttered round a bit and whereas I lined up accordingly – there have been nonetheless 16 individuals forward of me for the present. Nonetheless I gutted it out, and fortuitously obtained that magical final minute ticket.
I hadn’t watched No one Is aware of in over a decade. I used to be in all probability too younger to have actually appreciated it after I first noticed it. I’ll additionally readily admit that the movie had upset me a bit then too. Once more, because of being just a bit too younger for it. So within the very entrance row all the best way to the appropriate, I buckled down went on to understand it.
Our story begins with a younger mom (YOU), and her eldest son Akira (Yagira Yuya) introducing themselves to their landlord and shifting in. Taking excessive care of two suitcases, two extra siblings the rambunctious Shigeru (Kimura Hiei), and youngest Yuki (Shimizu Momoko) come out. Finally Akira manages to gather the eldest daughter, Kyoko (Kitaura Ayu) from the station on the finish of the night time. The household is non-conventional as all the kids have completely different fathers, and their mom comes off as immature however they’re in truth very glad. The dynamic begins to shift as their mom begins leaving the kids by themselves, Akira in cost for longer and longer durations of time.
I received’t lie, that it’s been lengthy sufficient that other than the third act main plot occasion: I kinda forgot a lot of the movie. That’s in all probability for the perfect, as a result of I may actually check out it with recent eyes.
It’s so attention-grabbing to have revisited it, with that added layer that the movie maker was (kind of) within the constructing so I used to be actually awestruck as soon as once more. Lots of my commentary and ideas are tied to the post-screening commentary and or the query and reply session. So I’ll save most of that for later.
I do assume that it’s nonetheless to today, a brilliant putting movie for extra causes than one. It’s very a lot rooted in realism. There’s little to no rating, simply the ambient sounds of -somewhere- in Japan.
The digital camera doesn’t actually wander off from the kids. The place they exist, the digital camera exists. The digital camera solely leaves the room to observe them the place they go, and no the place else. There may be at all times one of many children in body, and the few situations it’s not, it’s to indicate their perspective. Not a documentary, however as shut to at least one as potential with out being one.
There’s loads of uncooked emotions to the movie. A lot of the actors this was their very first main manufacturing, they usually have been actually simply children. Kore-eda talked about this was to their profit, for what he wished, and an enormous detriment in lots of different regards.
That’s actually all I’ve as notes. Once more, I used to be tremendous star-struck and the post-watch dialogue session actually did shade my perspective of this explicit viewing. I don’t wish to be too repetitive so I’ll simply finish it right here. Should you haven’t seen No one Is aware of but, you actually should.
Once more, beneath the separators is my modest abstract of the post-watch dialogue and or query and reply session. It’s in no way full however maybe is likely to be of curiosity to some. Like earlier than once more, it does include mild spoilers for character motivations and plot factors. It was filmed in some unspecified time in the future so if the footage turns into accessible, I’ll hyperlink it right here for a extra full image.
October 18th 2024, post-screening commentary with query and reply session with director and screenwriter of No one Is aware of, Kore-eda Hirokazu
Q1: Three Half Movie [there was more extended commentary on this of course, but I did not properly note it].
A: Truly a 4 half movie, with the fourth half being if the mom will or won’t return.
Q2: What was it like capturing and creating in such a small residence?
A: 16mm movie and all pure mild. [We, i.e. the crew] Couldn’t get in the best way of the children and couldn’t tear down the partitions. The cameras didn’t go away the residence till the children did.
Q3: Speaking about excessive close-ups to their faces. Means to direct kids, give attention to toes and arms: the main target you give to toes and arms.
A: I selected kids solely from the audition with none expertise on the time. [The children were] Horrible actors, barely into their administration. The actor for Shigeru, the crew simply let him be. The kid actors facial expressions have been nonexistent in sure scenes, so that they centered on arms and toes as an alternative.
This fall: Rootlessness feeling – do you’re feeling that this rootlessness is a part of your signature? Like in Monster (2023) looking for identification, No one Is aware of (2004) is looking for a household when no parental figures are of their life.
A: Me or the actors? [There was a brief pause to clarify what this in regards to] The actors. Perhaps? I do thematize absent fathers, and since somebody has to fill in. I really feel a resonance with the filling in [as a major theme] and rooting somebody with their [found or chosen] household.
Q5: The title is No one Is aware of, however maybe it’s extra like selected to not know. Are you able to communicate on the intention of seeing or not seeing the deserted kids.
A: Everybody knew, reverse of the title really. I lived in Tokyo for a very long time, for 60 years, the occasion that impressed it occurred in 1989. They [those who witnessed the real event] declare they didn’t know. It was a city the place it was okay to not know your neighbors, and many others. [An additional incident during filming about this point] Relating to the rolling the suitcase scene, we filmed it utilizing a hidden digital camera. Throughout this sequence, the kids weren’t approached as soon as by a member of the general public, or prepare station workers. The city simply let it occur.
Q6: Nostalgic, documentary type – the place do you draw visible influences/inspiration from?
A: [Most of] the workers had been watching Ken Loach’s Kes (1969). He really titled this movie [the English title].
Q7: The concept of a movie of what a household is has modified from After the Storm because it’s a non-normative movie [regarding divorced father without custody being able to see his son], Monster being about navigating a queer identification in a small city, and many others. What precisely was the trajectory of the way you understand household, and the way has it modified over time?
A: My notes, i.e. Rise’s notes, are actually poorly constructed right here. The gist is that Kore-eda wrote the unique screenplay in his 20’s, with a perspective of a boy ( who later grew to become Akira) and his monologues. It took a good period of time to craft and get produced, so Kore-eda was then in his 40’s. The screenplay modified to the angle of a mom and altered as soon as once more. There was a talked about of lack of mom, and start of a kid. Naturally as Kore-eda skilled extra of life and noticed completely different household and relationships, he naturally modified his emotions in the direction of the topic of household by means of his movies.
Remaining Feedback from Kore-eda: Thanks for staying [the screening was delayed and ended later then anticipated]. Motion pictures are like kids – some are good and a few are dangerous. It’s been 20 years since No one Is aware of was filmed, and he was in a position to movie kids like he wished. Which result in different movies.
Rise’s feedback: Director Kore-eda was tremendous considerate all the time the viewers was asking questions, or the moderators have been speaking. He was additionally tremendous jet lagged, the moderator mentioned so a minimum of, so he didn’t meet with followers post-screening. Since I used to be within the very first row, on the very finish whereas he was heading out I did handle to inform him “otsukare samadeshita” or a typical “good work” remark. He did reply to me shortly in a well mannered method so I hope that wasn’t too odd of me to do.
