Mr. Nobody (2009) Reviews

• What have I done to deserve this ?

  Tieum2010-01-16

  Mr Nobody, Nemo Nobody, is now 100 years old, the last mortal on earth in 2092, and he is about to die. Questioned about his life on his death bed by a journalist that sneaked in the hospital, he tells the stories of his lives. Yes, lives, his three lives, his three destinies between which he was unable to choose from. Three love stories, three very different existences conditioned by apparently meaningless decisions. Three paths, three wives, three families, three fates. This genuinely mind blowing movie is an experience revolving around the notion of choice, the importance or futility of decisions, a complex story that questions randomness, and what our lives are made of. Illustrated by bribes of a science documentary enlightening us about concepts like time before and after the big bang, the extremely interesting superstition of the pigeon, the eventuality of the big crunch, the complexity of quantum mechanics and string theory. This is a journey into the human psyche and the ability to create and explore in our imagination all the possible moves, like a chess player, that would lead to different paths, different existences. Exceptionally imaginative, acutely funny and startling, this production reeks of intelligence and craftsmanship, breaks down linear storytelling into bits, only to shuffle the whole thing in a brilliantly orchestrated masterpiece. It reminded me of so many great experiences, from David Lynch movies to Jorge Luis Borges books, it's an exquisite bundle of intellect and emotion. Choices, their meaning, why we choose this or that road through our lives, their consequences, whether we are aware of them of not. How many different lives could we be living ? Through the infinite possibilities facing each and every one of us, the good and the bad choices, every turn taken creates a new life, the most interesting of all is being alive. Chaos theory and butterfly effect to remind us how small we are in the randomness of the universe and yet so able to actively manifest the reality we desire. Nemo Nobody has to choose between leaving with his mother or stay with his father, the starting point of the exploration his available destinies. Unable to decide, he chooses both and takes us for a ride through an immensity of possible. The filming is smooth and sequences linked in a flow of event that jumps back and forth through time, brilliantly edited with great attention for rhythm. The music score is so adequately put together that it adds to the already stunning staging efficiency of the directing by Jaco Van Dormael. I dare to say this is the very best movie of 2009 and will most likely go see it a second time next week, one can never get enough of these absolutely mind blowing experiences. Confusing and dazzling at the same time, it manages to spark the most interesting discussions about the meaning of life, in an attempt to pinpoint why we live it. Whatever you got planned for this week end, just drop it and go see that movie, you will not regret it. There is a concept which corrupts and upsets all others. I refer not to Evil, whose limited realm is that of ethics; I refer to the infinite. Jorge Luis Borges (www.radiostationexp.blogspot.com)

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• Genius

  davee_b0y2009-09-19

  Just caught the north American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. This is my first IMDb comment, doing it cause i saw no one else has written anything yet. Jaco is an absolutely brilliant writer/director. I haven't seen too many art-house films, but I was pleasantly surprised by the tone which wasn't too serious, or pretentious. There were laugh out loud moments during a movie with themes concerning choice, destiny, and metaphysics. I was enamoured by the love story, it was feel good without being Hollywood. The visuals were amazing. I believe that Jaco explained that he used different DP's to film the different possible lives of Mr. Nobody. There were scenes set in the year 2092 that were absolutely stunning on the big screen. I found the soundtrack to be awesome. Any movie with "Mr. Sandman" and "Where is my mind?" is alright by me. The movie was extremely imaginative, original, funny, and will probably have me thinking about it and my own life for days after viewing.

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• Why are you not watching it RIGHT NOW?

  olga14032010-04-17

  There's one thing about this film that makes me overlook the flaws:it's like nothing I've ever seen before. Some people walked out 20 minutes before the movie ended. I can't really explain to myself why ANYONE would do that (it was really tempting to ask but I literally couldn't take my eyes off the screen). It's really pointless to describe the plot because this movie is so much more then any summary could say. This film has so many stylistic, tonal and narrative changes that it seems absolutely mad for the first half hour. It's easily the most unique and worthy cinema experience in the last year, its feels very current. I could go on and on about the things I loved about this film but there's nothing right now that I would recommend seeing more to a person of any age, sex or taste in cinema. It's everything I could ask for in a film:funny, touching, thrilling, surreal, beautiful...

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• Astonishing and profoundly moving!!

  cstrac212010-06-03

  This is the first time I have felt the need to post a review of a film, but the experience that this movie provided was so unique and profoundly moving that I feel compelled to post something of my thoughts. I have just finished watching Mr Nobody after knowing nothing about the movie beforehand (perhaps a good thing as I may have avoided it otherwise), but was simply astonished by the originality, cinematography, acting, script, soundtrack and profoundly thought provoking ideas. I realise that this film will not be to everyones taste, certainly I think it will not be fully comprehended by the younger generation as it does require a certain lifetime of experiences to relate, such as birth, love, marriage, children, separation, divorce, death, life changing choices etc.., but nevertheless it does make you deeply consider your own past decisions and future choices, and everyone of all ages will have made and will make these decisions. The production values are very high and would not look out of place in a 'hollywood blockbuster' but it is the mix of cinematography and music mingled with the dramatic scenarios that make it truly memorable. It is a difficult film to describe as it does not follow a traditional narrative structure, but that is what makes it so unique and truly memorable. An experience that will hopefully stay with you long after you have seen it. It certainly made for a hugely memorable experience for me. Others may differ in opinion, but I don't think anyone can argue that it is not intelligent, fresh, original and thought provoking. Well done to all involved in providing something original, intelligent and very entertaining.

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• Awesome but not for everyone

  Quebec_Dragon2010-07-28

  How to review this film without giving too much away? Throughout the film, I was constantly surprised and amazed. I think my mouth was hanging slightly open a few times from the brilliance on display. I was totally captivated from start to finish. Taken simply, it's a philosophical sci-fi film, but it's so much more than that. It's about choices, destinies, astrophysics, dreams and memories, just to name a few themes. Taken at its simplest, it's the jumbled recollections of the last mortal man, 118 years old, on Earth in 2092. The problem is that his memories are in total disorder and contradictory. In practice, it means that this is a very non-linear experience in terms of time and space, real and imaginary, showing you results of important choices either way. It doesn't focus on just 2 alternate lives either, things constantly branch out. You would think the film would be a mess, but it's surprisingly cohesive, gripping and even quite touching. I'm sure some will find it confusing, but that's part of the point: Mr. Nobody's memories seem confused and appearances might be deceiving. I found it extremely romantic despite the fact there are 3 very different love interests. One might say that sometimes the dialogue in romantic parts was corny, but I think that the most beautiful declarations of love can be the simplest as long as they are sincere. They felt that way here. The acting was top-notch all over the board with no weak performance in sight. Mr. Nobody's makeup and voice as an old man were perhaps a little distracting but nothing major. It's not a special effects extravaganza, but what was seen was quite imaginative and beautiful to behold. I think the contrast with the more mundane stuff going on makes them even more impressive. Visually, it has an incredible number of different angles and viewpoints all extremely well shot. What's amazing is that the (often) brilliant transitions flow so well from one to another without being jarring. There are so many story threads (most fascinating), so many changes of tones (whimsical to tragic) and so much range (from intimate to grandiose). I think people who like to analyze films would have a field day with this one although it's possible they would nitpick on the borrowed elements. There's also lots of food for thought and should provoke very interesting discussions afterwards especially on what might have happened if choices in your life had been different. Contrary to most films where I tend to think of what I will write in my review as the film is going on, it did not really happen here. I was totally absorbed and that's rare. The choice of songs and musics, mostly known, was excellent and added a lot especially in romantic parts. I'm even considering buying the soundtrack. Mr. Nobody is a challenging but very rewarding film to watch . I don't think it's for everyone, mostly because of its non-linear structure, but those who appreciate unconventional films like Brazil, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Vanilla Sky or Big Fish should be quite pleased. I loved Mr. Nobody and it has become one of my new favorite films. To be quite honest, I wish I could see it again right now... Very highly recommended particularly with someone special. Rating : 9.5 out of 10 (not full 10 because ending could have been better)

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