Mr. Nobody

Though it rarely makes a lick of sense, Mr. Nobody quickly establishes itself as an inventive and visually sumptuous endeavor that more than makes up in innovativeness what it’s lacking in coherence. The time-hopping narrative essentially concerns the title character – a 120-year-old man (and the last living mortal) who effectively reflects on his life and the choices he made (and didn’t make) in the hours leading up to his death. Director Jaco Van Dormael has infused Mr. Nobody with an unapologetically arty and downright pretentious sensibility that’s reflected in virtually every frame, as the far-from-linear storyline tracks the important events in Mr. Nobody’s life – yet it’s the emphasis on events that may never have even happened that’s sure to infuriate certain viewers (ie if you’re not willing to go with the premise almost immediately, Mr. Nobody will undoubtedly come off as a long slog indeed). The aggressively baffling atmosphere never becomes as problematic as one might’ve assumed, with the stellar performances – Leto is fantastic in the central role, while Diane Kruger, Sarah Polley, and Rhys Ifans offer up strong supporting work – and the consistently surprising and eye-popping visuals effectively sustaining the viewer’s interest from start to finish. There’s also little doubt that Van Dormael does a superb job of balancing the various timelines and realities, with the switch from, for example, a drab suburban landscape to a futuristic and clinical space station subsequently not nearly as jarring as one might’ve imagined. And although the pervasive lack of context ensures that the movie is, at least initially, not terribly emotionally resonant, there does reach a point at which Leto’s character becomes a tremendously engaging figure. The dearth of explanations for all this, even as the film draws to a close, is finally a key part of Mr. Nobody‘s charm, yet it’s just as clear that Van Dormael’s almost avant-garde modus operandi cements the movie’s place as a love-it-or-hate-it proposition.

***1/2 out of ****