Inspired by a true story, Nobody Knows follows four Japanese children abandoned in a Tokyo apartment by their flighty mother, left to fend for themselves as life becomes increasingly difficult. The actual events were a national scandal in Japan, and writer-director Hirokazu Kore-eda has fictionalized them into a moving, subtle and poignant story, a sensitive look at the lives of children with none of the cloying sentimentality that so often mars westerns of the same type.
Yagira plays 12-year-old Akira, the de facto leader of the household once Mom (played effectively by Japanese pop star You) skips town. At first, he takes good care of his two younger sisters and brother, but as Mom is away for longer and longer, things begin to break down. Kore-eda paces the story slowly, but it's never boring. He methodically builds both tension and emotional involvement, with lingering shots of everyday objects that create a profound sense of longing onscreen.
For all its heartbreaking sadness, Nobody Knows has lots of room in its 141 minutes for exuberant, almost pastoral scenes of joy amidst the urban density of Tokyo; after all, what child wouldn't rejoice at being free from parental restraints—at least at first? The film's power lies in painting a full, real portrait of childhood that is both haunting and bittersweet.