VividSimon Simply Perfect

Lucybespro It is a performances centric movie

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

estronbase This film is too sad.Yes, it was well made and acted but I honestly can not understand how anyone could claim to enjoy this miserable story.

Paul Donovan I watched this movie in 2005 on the flight to Osaka. I couldn't believe the story. I couldn't believe that this could ever happen in Japan where children's lives are controlled every minute by teachers. When I got access to Google and checked out the story I couldn't believe this movie story was based on a real life situation. The young lead actor is beautiful, his skills in this story belie what he could do (hope he gets more movie opportunities). The story needs this kind of lead role. Sadly I found the other kids' acting to be basic -- but the story really relies on the lead actor. He needs an Oscar or some award for his work in this movie. Watch this movie. But be sure you are not distracted, watch it from beginning to end. You will be crying at the end. But not necessarily crying from sadness but from pleasure that the kids finally have their act together. But also sadness because they still have a long way to go.

batatas31 I really cannot believe why people like this movie. I've read comments where people are saying that this film is beautiful. Really? Someone could actually look at the suffering going on in this movie and enjoy it, let alone call it beautiful? My major fault with this movie is that is seems almost pointless. Why would anyone want to watch a group of kids suffering for 2 hours, because that pretty much sums up the whole movie. Honestly, you have to be sort of sick in the head to actually watch this film and think, "Wow, I'm so touched. I just watched these kids live incredibly miserable lives... I really enjoyed it. What a great movie." That right there basically sums up the only reason why someone would like this movie, because unlike other sad movies, this movie does not contain values to be learned or at least enjoyable scenes.So to sum it all up, I would only recommend this movie to those who enjoy watching others suffer. I, for one, don't enjoy watching others suffer, and so I give this movie a 1 out of 10.

Davor Blazevic Acclaimed movie Dare mo shiranai (Nobody Knows, 2004) and related featurettes on the DVD from my Tokyo acquisition earlier this year, easily proved to be well worthy of my prolonged attention.Though slow-moving and long (almost 2.5 hours), one never gets bored watching four kids (in the movie of the age of 4, 6, 10 and 12 years) trying to survive on their own. Kids are kawaii (cute) and their performances touching, while bringing to life a bittersweet story of abandoned children. Trying to avoid attention from authorities and subsequent institutionalisation or imposed guardianship, inevitably leading to their separation, they are concealing the fact from their landlords and neighbours, continuing to live alone and thus staying together, sadly, with an almost unsurprisingly tragic outcome. Indeed a powerful story, based on real events. Unfortunately, as found on the free on-line encyclopedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobody_Knows_(2004_film), actual events, taking place in 1988 in Tokyo's Toshima-ku (ward), thoroughly described in "The affair of the four abandoned children of Sugamo" depiction of the incident, have been even far more gruesome. Well deserved rating 9 out of 10.