I was in sophomore year of high school when this film was released in the United States; I remember watching it super late on a school night and hating it. This was before I became interested in film, however, and now that I have finally rewatched it, it has easily made its way into my favorites. Mr. Nobody is an extremely strange, existential puzzle film from Jaco Van Dormael that is an absolute modern-day masterpiece. With an exceptional performance from Jared Leto in his prime and beautiful writing and cinematography, this film is pure, artful, genius in every way.
This film is truly one that you must watch for yourself to experience it and take it all in. Jared Leto absolutely shines in this movie and I believe that his performance was truly Oscar-worthy. His multiple portrayals of his character Nemo Nobody through the different iterations of his life was incredible, as well as the 119-year old mortal version of Nemo. He is definitely one of my favorite actors for this kind of genre as he embodies every role he takes on. All of the other performances by the cast members were done very well but none of them stood out to me nearly as much as Leto's. The production design, cinematography, and editing executed throughout this film were masterfully beautiful as well. The futuristic setting worked very well for Nemo's older scenes and provided a dreadful sense of incoming technology in our society. All of the other set designs for Nemo's life were gorgeous too and utilized color theory brilliantly, especially with the three girls that he eventually fell in love with. The cinematography and editing were very sharp too and helped to progress the existential story very well. There was a bit too much use of motion graphics and CGI for my taste, but the editors definitely had their work cut out for them; for the amount of nonlinear editing and scene transitions there were, the editing done by Susan Shipton and Matyas Veress was incredible.
The writing and plot of this film are what draw me in the absolute most. This film contains one of the most engaging and riveting narratives that I have ever watched. The nonlinear structure and multiple-universe theory that is used in this story is the best part of this experience. While films like Pulp Fiction or Memento use this nonlinear structure, it is not nearly as engaging as Mr. Nobody. The former two films have a simple cut-and-paste formula but the latter film incorporates multiple universes as well, adding layer after layer of raw, beautiful storytelling. This is very, VERY confusing at first watch, but once the intertwining narratives become clear, it is nothing but enjoyable.
Countless theories and explanations have been published online about the film's ending regarding which life of his was the real one or if none of them had actually happened. Here is what I personally contrived from it: I believe that Nemo chose to go with his mother at the train station. This would result in him ending up with Anna, played by Diane Kruger, as their relationship felt the purest and most authentic throughout their time together. This is also aided by the fact that Nemo whispered "Anna" right before he passed away and imploded the universe. The fact that this film brings to mind so many different existential and universal themes is amazing. Every choice you make leads to something else in your life and this "butterfly effect" was incredible to see in the post-post-modern setting. Every aspect of this movie is so creatively executed, as it took more than ten years for Van Dormael to write, produce, and direct. I'm not going to get too much into this movie because of spoiler-y reasons, but I highly encourage all audiences to experience this magnificent film at least once.
Mr. Nobody is definitely not the movie you want to watch to sit back and relax. Films should truly leave the audience thinking and wondering what in the hell they just witnessed. That is what I experience when I watch this film, as I catch something new each time. I would absolutely recommend this movie for anyone in the right headspace to comprehend an existential piece of art like this one. You will not be disappointed.
My Rating: ★★★★★
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