Is it like 'Nobody Knows' ???? - Na-moo-eobs-neun san (2009) Discussion

[–] andyviana162 15 years ago

yea i was just thinking the same thing as i was reading the the plot summary. nobody knows was good but kind of depressing.

Is this your homework Larry?

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[–] d-JCB 15 years ago

Nobody Knows is genius. Why shouldn't a mother leaving 3 young children to fend for themselves depressing? Cinema should hit you deeply, no matter what the material. Koreeda's new film is playing @ MIFF & I can't wait!! i hope u guys are willing to try out other hard hitting asian cinema as they do it so well!!! check kim ki-duk if u haven't already.

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[–] andyviana162 15 years ago

ive probably seen more asian movies than anyone you know. plus, i own many kim ki duk movies. his movies hit you hard but they arent depressing.

Is this your homework Larry?

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[–] d-JCB 15 years ago

ok that's great. it seems your key issue here is the topic of depression. kim ki-duk's films aren't exactly uplifting tho, as is many other asian film makers who make realist films. my main point is there's no other way to tell a sad story than to tell it sad.... not like hollywood where everything is sugar coated, life isn't like that and nor should films

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[–] andyviana162 15 years ago

agreed. i dont like sugar coating but the content was the problem.
it was about a true story which sometimes is not as entertaining as a made up story. i like realism but maybe if kim ki duk directed it and added some stuff, he could have done a better job. you dont even need to know what the charactors are saying in his movies to enjoy them, though its better to know.

kim ki duk tends to take on problems in korea and makes up a story based on how it would typically be while keeping it entertaining. nobody knows was a more story telling of one instance keeping to what actually happened (as far as i can guess). i didnt much care for it to buy it but i always watch it when it is shown on ifc.

Is this your homework Larry?

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[–] d-JCB 15 years ago

well i should say andyviana162, Koreeada is a very capable director, as capable as Kim Ki-Duk, i've watched many of his films & they're all different, as is Kim's.... so explore a little deeper & u may find some gold :)

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[–] andyviana162 14 years ago

ok so i just watched treeless mountain and i thought it was pretty great. i liked it a lot better than nobody knows. probably because the ending was more positive. i guess its tough for me to see a sad ending when kids are the main charactors, ya know?

Is this your homework Larry?

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[–] asc85 14 years ago

Actually, this is one of the reasons why I saw this movie, because although depressing, I found "Nobody Knows" to be one of the five best films I have EVER seen.

I'd say it's similar in theme, and because it's so depressing. I'd say that "Nobody Knows" is the superior film, although I was glad I saw "Treeless Mountain." I'd say "Treeless Mountain" has a SLIGHTLY more upbeat ending, but it certainly isn't ice cream and cake.

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[–] rc-108 14 years ago

Wonderful movie...

the 2 girls were delightful... and did a fantastic job portraying abandonment.

The movie was very well made... depicting the hole made by being abandoned...
and the almost never ending hope that the people that did the abandoning will return...

This was similar to Nobody Knows... as both were abondoned...
however in Treeless Mountain...there was some solace and comfort found in the form of the grandmother....
whereas in Nobody Knows... there was none...
although the oldest of the kids in Nobody Knows was a little older and could at least try to fend for themselves...

both great movies....both awaken the feeling of abandonment...
and also awaken the need/desire to help people in such situations...

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[–] Pequod88 14 years ago

I agree that Treeless Mountain is a quietly powerful film. I will be recommending it. The sisters, especially Jin, seemed so natural and true that I felt I was glimpsing real lives, not filmed performances (so rare with child "actors"). The slow pace and minimalist plot did not bother me, and the cinematography was quite impressive. It is easy to get used to familiar sign-posts and explanations that reduce much filmic story-telling to a fast-food meal: predictable and without much nourishment. This film will stay with viewers who have patience for slow moving narratives.

My only real criticism is the character of the mother. While I did not want or need a false, tidy happy ending, I was left perplexed by the mother's true intentions and character. In her few scenes early in the film, I saw her as a loving mother in a little over her head due to the abandonment of the girls' father. I did assume she was in earnest in her desire to find him and attempt reconciliation for the sake of the girls. As much as I admire the film, I was left fairly clueless as to the chances of the mother ever reappearing. I suppose that, unlike the mother of the handicapped boy, she did not have the depth of character to make whatever sacrifices necessary to keep her daughters by her side and cared for. Still, the early scenes suggest, to me, a more complex woman.

I would be interested in the opinions of others as the mother's character and the likelihood that abandonment was always her true intention.

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[–] rc-108 14 years ago

in my humble opinion..

The mother in the beginning seemed to truly love the girls..
and I saw no indication that she intended to abandon them.

but she seems to struggle to just get by...
and couldn't keep work.
She realized she could not give them what they needed...
and seemed to rationalize to herself that the girls were better off without her...

In Nobody Knows... the mother...is much more selfish...

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[–] AnonII 13 years ago

Not only does this film immediately remind one of the Japanese "Nobody Knows," but it seems to be a perfect combination of that film with another Korean urban-to-rural, grandmother heart-breaker "The Way Home." (2002).

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[–] kirbynintendo 13 years ago

"Nobody Knows" is clearly a better movie (well, IMO, at least) but I like both movies. I own both of them on DVD and the reason I liked both so immensely is because of how close the camera gets to the child's world. As we become adult, we drift further & further away from that child's attention of small things, and I like to remind myself every now & again to keep an attitude of childlike wonder about me, because doctors have said that doing so actually can add years to your life, keep your mind sharp, and fend off depression. They did a study of people who lived to be 100+, and they found with almost all of them, they had "young minds" and looked at life like every day there is something to learn, that you are never "done" learning.

Make a note, however, they kept a childlike attitude, not childish. There's a big difference. Keeping your sense of childlike wonder is not the same as acting immaturely and childish.

I love to see the world through the eyes of a child, and both Nobody Knows and Treeless Mountain accomplish that with flying colors.

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