Have you ever had a movie that you’ve watched stick with you after you’ve watched it? I have. I was chatting about current movies the other day and later reflected about the ones I’ve already seen. “Nobody Knows” is one of them. Its not a gyaru movie, but a Japanese one that gave me a glimpse of what some kids may be going through, or have gone through in broken homes in Japan.
A pensive, triggering movie suggested to me where a mom moves and finds a new apartment in a new part of town. She introduces herself and her eldest son, Akira to the other tenants, and goes to finish moving in.
<b>Spoilers ahead!</b>
This is when it is made aware that the facade wears off, and there are other children whom she sneaks in via a route where it shows a hint of her apathy. The younger children seem to think it is an adventure, and aren’t questioning why they have to be snuck in, or why they are forced to be quiet. They accept it as their reality.
Akira, the eldest son, is seen running errands, cooking for him and his siblings, and keeping up with his studies to the best of his abilities. Though he seems to be a “good kid” taking on all of these tasks, he isn’t enjoying life as a child, and is putting the needs of his mother and siblings first. Meanwhile, his mother returns home late each night or the next day after going on dates with men. It’s not clear what her job is, but it can be surmised.
In one scene, she comes home drunk, and sits with her offspring. At this moment, she mentions to them who the fathers of the children might be, and gives insight to what has been driving her to be with them: money and stardom. When she spends time with her children, though it seems that the conversations are a little cute and playful, I find her a quite naive and as if she is tolerating them than having fun and enjoying their company.
The mother eventually abandons her children, seeing them as a hinderance to the new lifestyle she wishes to pursue. Akira takes on the tasks and stresses of managing a household without a caring, empathetic mother and a strong father figure for his siblings, and yearns for normalcy. He is a young kid after all, yet is encumbered with responsibilities that are far too advanced for him.
I wonder if the mother was in a similar situation; getting pregnant by mistake or on purpose to feel important in a man's life and to keep him, and having to learn the hard way that children are a large responsibility... and quite expensive! I wonder if it is a pattern that the mother has seen in her life; if her own home was just as broken, and not knowing what healthy relationships were. Perhaps she is chasing a father figure and the lack of his care and attention through her (failed) relationships, and cannot build upon her own self esteem and self worth because of his absence.
This concludes my thoughts on this movie at this time. Its been so long since I've seen it, and its now available for free on Youtube.
Let me know what you think of it.
Mata ne ✧˖°
