Nobody Knows(誰も知らない)

Chicago Reader by

Yuya Yagira, winner of the best actor award at Cannes this year, is superb as the protective eldest child; he and his other nonprofessional costars are quietly heartbreaking.

The New Yorker by Anthony Lane

I certainly came out of Nobody Knows feeling numb; only later, reflecting on the fact that the movie was inspired by a true story, did it occur to me that the numbness could have been deliberate, and that what suffused this picture was a mist of anger.

The New York Times by Dana Stevens

Not for the faint of heart, though it has no scenes of overt violence, and barely a tear is shed. It is also strangely thrilling, not only because of the quiet assurance of Mr. Kore-eda's direction, but also because of his alert, humane sense of sympathy.

Variety by Derek Elley

Kore-eda sketches the inner, spiritual and emotional lives of the children with subtlety and sensitivity, delivering the goods after a seemingly directionless first half.

New York Daily News by Jami Bernard

Excellent, troubling social commentary based on a true story.

TV Guide Magazine by Ken Fox

Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda's most accessible film to date is also his most wrenching.

Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum

Yagira's performance is so extraordinary, it won him the best actor prize at the 2004 Cannes film festival.

Village Voice by Michael Atkinson

It's a heart-sundering vision of preadolescent helplessness that rivals passages of "Landscape in the Mist" and "Ponette."

The A.V. Club by Scott Tobias

Loosely structured around four seasons, Nobody Knows unfolds in a long series of episodes that slowly progress from lightly comic to bracingly sad as the situation deteriorates.

New York Post by V.A. Musetto

Kore-eda presents the deeply moving story in a documentary style that is both gentle and compelling.