A single snowflake can bend the leaf of the bamboo.

Rating: 9/10 (16 May 2011)

According to string theory, the universe contains nine spatial dimensions and one temporal dimension. Three of the spatial dimensions: length, width, and depth, and the temporal dimension: time, were deployed within our universe while the rest remained wound up together. "What if one of the other six was temporal?"
Jaco Van Dormael's Mr. Nobody is a science-fiction drama that explores the concept of parallel universes existing for different possibilities for each branching point in our lives. The butterfly effect, so to speak, creates a divergence in universes. Will they ever converge once again? Just ask the second law of thermodynamics: As long as the universe continues to expand, entropy is always increasing (i.e. things can only spontaneously become more random or disordered). However, this never becomes a problem because no one is aware that alternate realities exist.
Yet, one man is. Nemo Nobody.
The entire film plays out almost like a dream. Recurrent images and sounds. Non-linearly spliced scenes. It displays the different ways one man could have lived his life based on the mere probability of a leaf falling one way or the other. The story can be both philosophically challenging and spoon-fed at times. Although it may come off as too pretentious, edgy, or complex, such cerebral stories should be executed in innovative ways and all ideas presented both complement the storyline and serve to enhance our understanding of the underlying philosophy. The film is also rich with subtleties. For example, I found the main character's name to be particularly odd and noticed it spells "omen" backwards. But it doesn't stop there. The film is just as emotional and poignant as it is thought-provoking. The viewer is tossed around the emotional spectrum as Nemo's back and forth transitions from being emotionally invested to a soulless bystander begin to make sense. Visually, it's incredibly imaginative and colorful. Perhaps even more enthralling is the music. The late Pierre Van Dormael (the director's brother) composed a sensational score from beginning to end. Not a scene goes by without at least some piano in the background.
Mr. Nobody is a treat for the heart, the mind, and the senses. Van Dormael has constructed one hell of a complete package. An absolute must-see.