Mr Nobody, Jaco Van Dormael (2009) is a film I strongly, highly,
emphatically recommend—to people with brains that work like mine.
Here's a test:
Requiem for a Dream, Darren Aronofsky (2000); the question is not if you liked it, or even if you enjoyed Jared Leto's performance (he's also the main character in
Mr Nobody) the question is: Have you watched it, in its entirety, beginning-to-end, without distraction. Yes? Go to the next question. No? I don't think you'll be able to sit thru 30 minutes of
Mr. Nobody.
Same question about
Amélie,
Jean-Pierre Jeunet (2001). Yes? Next Question. No? You will be so lost and confused by Mr. Nobody. Your brain just doesn't work like mine. It's not a better/worse thing, we just process information differently.
Which of these five films have you seen?
Vanilla Sky, Cameron Crowe (2001);
Sliding Doors, Peter Howitt (1998);
Inception, Christopher Nolan (2010);
Cloud Atlas, Tykwer/A&L Wachowski (2012);
Memento, Christopher Nolan (2000).
None? You won't make it through the opening credits of
Mr. Nobody.
One or two? You may be able to watch the entire film (after all, you made it through
Requiem as well as a frenetic, subtitled, French comedy) but you lack sufficient film foundation to actually get your brain completely around
Mr. Nobody. The up-side: you have a short list of must-see films to catch up on (except
Cloud Atlas, you can skip that one; I only included it because I needed a 'high bar').
Three or four? You'll understand
Mr. Nobody, so maybe you'll like it. Lack of understanding is the main reason films like this (these) are disliked.
You've seen all of them? Then you'll love
Mr. Nobody.
It really doesn't matter what you think about any of these films—like, hate, or indifferent doesn't matter. If you have seen all (or almost all) of these seven films, your brain works like mine.
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