Daremo Shiranai - Nobody Knows - 90%

As I had mentioned in the previous post, I watched this movie on the same day watched I Not Stupid 2. It was pure coincidence and not in anyway planned. But it was amazing to see the contrast between these 2 films. While I Not Stupid 2 was a dramatic drama movie that uses cliches and tears to create emotions, Daremo Shiranai (Nobody Knows) is undramatic in its story telling, and does not use any tears to force any emotion. Both films were emotionally driven, but they were done in such different manner. While "Stupid 2" was forced and stereotypical, "Nobody" was natural and unmanipulated.

The story tells of a mother who leaves her 4 children (2 boys and 2 girls) at home to fend for themselves. The eldest brother had to find means to feed, wash and take care of the siblings and you are constantly looking forward to see how he's going to solve their daily problems. I shall not give away the plot too much, but it does have a very surprising ending. But that's not to say that the film is dramatic in its delivery. In fact, the story avoids many of the paths that you'd expect, and that's what makes it so interesting. For instance, you'd imagine the mother to be behaving in a very disgusting and selfish manner given the expectations of what she will do (dump the kids), but she behaves totally unlike what you'd expect. And this is just one very superficial example, just watch the movie and you'll understand.

The code 3 DVD is going for only $12.90 at Laserflair. Goes to show how popular good films can get in Singapore eh? Ironic isn't it when I Not Stupid 2 is raking in the cash at the theaters in Singapore. Well, the budget of "Nobody" is probably lower, the distribution certainly much wider (thanks to the universally acclaimed story) and its accolades definitely much higher (2004 Cannes Best Actor). So how much it makes in comparison to "Stupid 2", really it is hard to say. ;)