Nobody Knows (2005)

Flaky mother moves into a not-big-enough apartment by concealing the existence of three of her four children from the landlord. This means that the kids have to be exceptionally quiet and stay hidden inside. None of the children attend school. The eldest, Akira, is the default head of the household. He shops, he cooks, and he takes care of his younger siblings. Sometimes Mom's home for dinner -- but usually she's not. And then Mom gets a new boyfriend and starts spending even more time away. We find out it's a pattern with her to land a fella without letting him know about her children -- but this time, she assures Akira, she really thinks they'll all be able to live in a house together, once she's ready to let him know about the kids she's got stashed away, that is. Instead of a new father, Akira awakes one morning to find a note and some cash on the kitchen table.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this since I saw it. Not only is it an amazing story, it's so beautifully told. There's an almost gentleness to the telling -- not sensationalistic or exploitative. All of the children are natural actors and the slow changes (longer hair, slightly too-tight clothes, ever-dirtier surroundings) are perfect.

Although this is fiction, it is based on an actual case in Japan. Sometimes my heart hurts just thinking about how terrible human beings -- especially those who've taken on the responsibility of parenthood -- can be.

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