The Absence of Adults, Left-Behind Children... The Film 'Nobody Knows' Pointing to Our Current Issues [Joohee Kang's Video Prism]

Movie Based on a True Story 'Nobody Knows'
How Should We View the Recurring Issue of Child Neglect?

Still image from the movie 'Nobody Knows'./Photo by Naver Movie

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] [Editor's Note] How do you remember that scene? Have you ever suddenly recalled a scene from a movie? This is likely because films are closely connected to our lives. Movies offer another perspective on reality. We present various viewpoints on reality by extracting a single scene from a film. Please note that there may be spoilers in the description of scenes.

The 2004 Japanese film Nobody Knows, directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, is based on the real-life "Nishisugamo Four Children Neglect Case" that occurred in 1988 in Toshima Ward, Tokyo. It tells the story of four children who were left neglected for years after their mother, who was raising them without their father, left the house, a situation revealed by a report from the landlord.

None of the children had birth registrations, nor had they ever attended school. At the time of discovery, the electricity and water supply to the house had long been cut off, and the interior was filled with trash. This case reveals a dark aspect of Japanese society, where in Tokyo?the most populous city in Japan?no one noticed the neglected lives of these children, reflecting a societal indifference to others.

Nobody Knows begins with the mother and eldest son Akira moving into a new rental home and greeting the neighbors. Conscious of the neighbors' reluctance toward large families, the other three children, except Akira, sneak into the house hidden in moving boxes and trunks.

To avoid eviction from the hard-earned rental home, they establish rules such as not making noise inside the house and not going outside. Although they are almost invisible to the neighbors, the children rely on each other and create their own comfortable space.

One day, the mother leaves the house, leaving a note saying she will not return for a while along with some money, forcing Akira to take responsibility for his younger siblings alone. They try to survive by saving the meager money meant for four people, but the reality is harsh for a boy barely ten years old.

Occasional registered letters with cash from their mother stop coming, and it is not easy to seek help by looking for their father, whose face and name they barely know. Six months pass through winter, spring, and into summer, and the comfortable space the children created gradually deteriorates.

Still image from the movie 'Nobody Knows'./Photo by Naver Movie

Nobody Knows adopts a filming style that calmly observes the children's daily lives rather than dramatically portraying the tragedy of child neglect.

Most films based on real events actively emphasize the "true story" aspect to maximize realism. By highlighting that the fictional story is based on facts, they stimulate audience curiosity and enhance immersion.

Such films typically incorporate real events and real people, with protagonists tracking down villains and delivering justice, creating points of conflict resolution. Representative Korean films include Silenced directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, based on the Gwangju Inhwa School sexual abuse case, and 1987 directed by Jang Joon-hwan, based on the Park Jong-chul torture death case.

In contrast, Nobody Knows focuses not on the development and resolution of the incident but on simply observing the children's daily lives. The film does not depict dramatic moments of blaming or judging the irresponsible mother who abandoned the children.

Instead, it shows how the tragedy gradually robs the children of their comfortable daily life. The fading nail polish the mother applied before leaving vividly conveys to the audience the time and pain the children endured in the absence of an adult.

The children wear shoes that have become too small as they grow without complaint, draw pictures on notices about water and electricity being cut off, and grow plants in leftover instant noodle cups while making do with meals. Their innocence starkly reveals the harsh reality they face.

This filming approach encourages reflection on the fundamental causes of the tragedy from an objective and restrained perspective.

Still image from the movie 'Nobody Knows'./Photo by Naver Movie

The events depicted in Nobody Knows are not unrelated to our lives. Cases of child neglect by parents continue to occur in Korea as well.

Last September in Incheon, a fire caused by boiling ramen resulted in serious injuries to siblings and the death of a younger sibling. In November, in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, a newborn's body was abandoned in a refrigerator, and other children were left among piles of garbage.

The severity of child neglect cases is also reflected in statistics. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, reports of child abuse increased significantly from 19,214 cases in 2015 to 29,674 in 2016, 34,169 in 2017, 36,417 in 2018, and 41,389 in 2019?more than doubling in five years.

Among the cases reported in 2019, multiple types of abuse combined (14,476 cases) were the most common, followed by emotional abuse (7,622 cases), physical abuse (4,179 cases), neglect (2,885 cases), and sexual abuse (883 cases). Forty-two children died from abuse in 2019 alone.

The primary cause of child neglect cases is the irresponsibility of parents who abandon their children, but there is considerable criticism of the social system's failure to respond adequately, which allows such incidents to recur.

In the Incheon fire case, the siblings had already been reported multiple times to child protection agencies and the police for neglect and abuse by their mother before the accident. The child protection agency requested a court order to separate the siblings from their mother in May last year, but only a counseling referral was issued without separation measures.

In October of the same year, 16-month-old adopted child Jeong-in died from abuse by adoptive parents despite three prior reports of child abuse. The child was returned to the parents because no evidence of abuse was found. This points to the inadequacy of social safety nets and systemic failures that, despite awareness of the seriousness of child abuse, failed to prevent it.

The filming style of Nobody Knows, which calmly portrays the children's daily lives without emphasizing the factuality of the true story, highlights the recognition that the cause of such tragedies cannot be limited to individual responsibility and criticizes the absence of a social system that "nobody knows" about the neglected children.

Is the film posing a question to the audience about what we have not known so far and what we need to know going forward? At the same time, the film prompts reflection on the ethical issues of how to view and approach subjects when recreating true stories or when the camera captures reality.