Tony Scott gave Hirokazu Kore-eda and his latest film, Nobody Knows, a strong review:
Nobody Knows is 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. He is neither an optimist nor a sentimentalist - like his previous films, Maborosi, After Life, and Distance, this one presents a fairly bleak view of the modern world - but he does keep an eye out for manifestations of decency, bravery and solidarity. These tend to be small and fleeting, and therefore all the more valuable and worth clinging to when his patient, meticulous eye uncovers them.I found Distance--only available as a Region 2 DVD--to be so carefully hands-off as to be almost boring. And what Scott calls "impending doom," Jonathan Marlow, reporting from Rotterdam for GreenCine, calls "relatively predictable." And "unnecessarily long." Maybe it's a good thing Kore-eda's doing a jidai-geki (period drama) next.
Abandoned Children Stow Away At Home [nyt]
GreenCine at IFFR [daily.greencine.com]
Also: Filmbrain's take on the film, an IndieWIRE's interview with Kore-eda, and an IFP article and the film's production notes.
Previously: Kore-eda on greg.org [I mean, greg.org on Kore-eda]
