Mr. Nobody

One day I stumbled upon a film called Mr. Nobody and I’m delighted that I saw that film because it truly is a very interesting and beautifully shot film.

Mr. Nobody is a 2009 Belgian science fiction film directed by Jaco Van Dormael. It stars Jared Leto, Diane Kruger, Tony Regbo, Juno Temple, Sarah Polley and Lin Dan Pham. Unlike typical science fiction films, it isn’t entirely filmed in space or has dozens of robots dominating the film or anything like that. It’s a very hearty film with stunning cinematography I assure you.

Here is the synopsis from Wikipaedia:

In the year 2092, the 118 year old man Nemo Nobody, the last mortal alive after humans have become ‘telomerized’ and achieved quasi-immortality, is recounting his life story to a reporter. Although less than clear, often times thinking he is only thirty-four years of age, he tells his life at three primary points: at age 9, when his parents get divorced; at age 15, when he fell in love; and at age 34, living his adulthood - all three unravelled into many other realities in a nonlinear narrative.

The plot also makes deep use of various scientific elements, such as the Big Bang theory, the Superstring theory, the Many-worlds interpretation and the concepts of telomeres and parallel universes.

Now, what intrigues me is the way the movie goes. It is in a nonlinear narrative. The story is always told by the 9 year old, 15 year old and 34 year old Nemo. He story is hand full so I will try to explain things as much as I can. The 9 year old Nemo knows the future and what will happen in his entire life. He goes by the principle of letting things happen by chance. He does not choose when faced with a dilemma, he says: “The best decision to make is to not choose” At age 9, his parents get divorced. At the train station where his mother is leaving, he is faced with a life changing decision: to stay with this father or mother?

The plot takes a split from there, we see that if Nemo had chosen to live with his mother, he will meet the love of his life and things that should happen will consequently happen. If he stayed with his father, he will meet a different girl. However, the girl does not accept him at first, if he had persistently went after the girl instead of give up there, he would have lead another life (where he meets another different girl). From there, his adult life would be different. Although whatever happens to him if he had went on to be with his mother or father, he will ultimately die in an accident. (I don’t know why they showed him dying in any accident because he lives on to be 118 years old, the last mortal in the future 2092)

The 3 girls of Nemo's love life

In the future 2092, telomerisation has been done to all human beings who live on Mars instead of Earth. This means that everyone can be immortals and stay young forever. They will not be affected by sickness, age or death. In the movie there was an interviewer who asked Nemo what sex felt like because it is obsolete in the future, so I’m guessing that the future humans have found a way to reproduce in a non sexual way O_O”

In the movie, there were various theories mentioned about the existence and continuum of time and space, namely the Big Bang theory where time and dimension was born. Time can only move forward, whatever has happened cannot be undone. Like 9 year old Nemo said, when the ketchup is mixed with the mash potatoes, it cannot be separated anymore. When smoke comes out of a cigarette, it can never go back in. However, there is a theory that at the end of time, The Big Crunch, time will cease to move forward. He thinks that time will have to go back again, moving backwards. The Big Crunch was said to happen in the year 2092 in the movie.

There are so many things dealt in the movie, possibility, chance, time and consequences taken from 1 action (Butterfly hurricane effect) it really is a lot to digest in 1 film. It might be confusing to those who never even heard of those theories but as the director said: “My producers don't like me saying it, but it's really a big-budget experimental film about the many different lives one person can live, depending on the choices he makes. It's about the infinite possibilities facing any person. There are no good or bad choices in life. It's simply that each choice will create another life for you. What's interesting is to be alive."

Now I can go on and on about what I think about how the course of a person’s life could go depending on the infinite possibilities and choices made by himself ( I think I might post that in my next entry..) but the director is right, what’s interesting is to be alive and live life to the fullest! I strongly recommend those who are curious about the possibilities of life 1 person can have to watch that movie. As for those who just want to watch some surreal dimension movie with beautiful cinematography, watch this movie too! ;)