Reel Views: Little film asks some big questions

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Mr. Nobody (2009)

When Mr. Nobody opened at the Venice Film Festival and later screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, audiences liked what they saw and it's no great wonder why. Mr. Nobody explores numerous what-if scenarios in one man's existence in a most intriguing way.

The film's base premise is simple enough, although it becomes extremely convoluted in the neverending time shifts and jumps to parallel planes of existence. Mr. Nobody tells the story of Nemo Nobody and the various lives he could have, the reality of which hinges on a single moment in his childhood wherein he must choose between living with his mother or his father after their divorce. The story goes off on three major tangents of what Nemo's life could have been if his decision differed, and in each exploration of his life un-lived Nemo is married to a different woman. The main plot device that holds the vast amount of scenes and scenarios together is the premise that Nemo has lived to be 120 years old and he is recounting his life story to a journalist. This works well enough, but if you aren't paying strict attention it becomes easy to find yourself lost in the overly complicated and fragmented plot.

The casting of the film is very hit and miss. Sarah Polley has a brief but powerful role as Nemo's emotionally unstable and desperate wife Elise, and her quick appearances make up the majority of the film's strongest scenes. Diane Kruger is another of Nemo's possible wives, Anna, his one true love in life. Kruger is mysterious and aloof, bringing strength to the concept that the character may never have existed. The final wife, Jeanne, is played by Linh Dan Pham, whose performance next to Polley and Kruger simply falls flat. Rhys Ifans takes on a more serious role than is standard for him in playing Nemo's father, although it becomes clear early on that Ifans' strength lies in comedic acting. Finally, Jared Leto plays the seemingly ageless Mr. Nobody. Leto gives a substandard performance in this flick, simply going through the motions of acting. With such a distinct lack of conviction in his gestures and his words, one is left to wonder where did his talent disappear to?

The editing is very quick in this film, so much so that, even if you are paying close attention, it's not difficult to forget which reality a particular scene is set in. The sheer amount of fragmentation within Mr. Nobody makes any linear understanding of the story nearly impossible.

Despite its weaknesses, Mr. Nobody is an overall astounding film. It explores questions of whatif and parallel lives, and of fate, free will, heaven and existence itself. The newly released DVD offers the chance to view scenes you may have missed and informative Making Of, Behind-The- Scenes and Deleted Scenes options.

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars