Hirokazu Koreeda's "Nobody Knows"

I've been looking for Koreeda's 2004 film "Dare mo shiranai" or "Nobody Knows" for some time now and a couple of days ago I got lucky enough to finally get my hands on it. I just finished watching it tonight and I must say, I think this is a film that everyone should go out of their way to see.

The film is about 4 Japanese children who are abandoned by their mother and forced to rely on each other to get by and even survive. Yûya Yagira plays the 12 year old Akira who must take on a leadership role among his younger siblings and this kid is just plain amazing. I can't remember the last time I saw acting this good from someone of any age. All of the kids play their parts so belivably it is almost hard to watch. Koreeda manages to film the scenes such that you almost forget you're watching a movie, and rather feel as if you're just magically peering into this horrible situation.

Nobody Knows is a beautiful and awful piece that instantly became what I consider one of the more important films I've seen in my life. I recommend that anyone who is interested find a way to see it, it is definately worth the effort.

Where could I find this movie?

You may be able to find a subtitled DVD on a Japanese import DVD seller's website, or if you get really lucky you can find it to download on some sort of newsgroups or an active torrent. Whatever means you go through, it's well worth the effort.