#74 Mr. Nobody

Director: Jaco Van Dormael

Writer: Jaco Van Dormael

Cast: Jared Leto, Sarah Polley, Diane Kruger, Linh Dan Pham

Music by: Pierre Van Dormael

Duration: approximately either 8,460 or 9,400 seconds (depends on the version Kacper's coming up with)

Mr. Nobody is a 2009 Belgian science fiction drama film. It was written and directed by Jaco Van Dormael, produced by Philippe Godeau, and starred Jared Leto, Sarah Polley, Diane Kruger, Linh Dan Pham, Rhys Ifans, Natasha Little, Toby Regbo and Juno Temple. The film tells the life story of Nemo Nobody, a 118 year-old man who is the last mortal on Earth after the human race has achieved quasi-immortality. Nemo, memory fading, refers to his three main loves and to his parent's divorce and subsequent hardships endured at three main moments in his life; him at age nine, fifteen and thirty-four. Nemo tells the story including alternate life paths, often changing course with the flick of a decision at each of those ages. The film uses nonlinear narrative and the many-worlds interpretation to tell the story of Nemo's life.

Jared Leto as Nemo Nobody, both 34 and 118 years old. Nemo is a Latin word meaning "nobody". The name Nemo alludes to Captain Nemo, the main character of Jules Verne's novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It is the false name that Odysseus in Homer's poem Odyssey gives to the cyclops Polyphemus, to deceive him and save his own life. Van Dormael said that Leto was chosen because he is "an actor who could transform himself, as much physically as vocally, rhythmically, his breathing." Leto described his role saying, "Mr. Nobody is everyone and no one all at the same time, an illusion, the product of his own dreams. He's love, he's hope, he's fear, he's life and he's death. This is without doubt the most complex character I've ever played. It was a challenge to keep all these lives concentrated into one character for the duration of the filming without losing myself. But we had outlines and things that helped me to keep track of where we were." Actor Toby Regbo portrays Nemo at fifteen and Thomas Byrne Nemo at nine.

Sarah Polley as Elise, Nemo's wife with borderline personality disorder. Polley was the first to be cast in the film. She describes Elise as "a young woman who carries a lot of love inside her. She yearns to be the best of mothers but just can't do it. She's frustrated because of this inability to live the way she would like to live, all of this stemming from her depression. She doesn't understand why she can't pull out of it. Over time she develops a feeling of shame and guilt towards her husband and her children." Actress Clare Stone portrays Elise at fifteen.

Diane Kruger as Anna, Nemo's one true love. Kruger described Anna as "the most complete of all the characters. She never makes any compromises, in any one of her lives. She gets married and keeps her promise until the end: she will not fall in love with anyone else." Actress Eva Green was originally reported for the role, but the casting was not confirmed. Actress Juno Temple portrays Anna at fifteen.

Linh Dan Pham as Jeanne, Nemo's wealthy but loveless wife. Pham said that Jeanne "loves Nemo Nobody with a passion but he doesn't love her. Their meeting was a misunderstanding. She thought he was honest and full of love for her. But as soon as they start a family she realizes that something is missing in their relationship, that he's never really there. It also shows that lives that seem perfect on paper might not be so perfect in reality." Actress Audrey Giacomini portrays Jeanne at fifteen.

Rhys Ifans as Nemo's father. Van Dormael chose Ifans after seeing his "multifaceted" performances in Notting Hill (1999) and Enduring Love (2004).

Natasha Little as Nemo's mother. Little was suggested by the casting director in London. Van Dormael said that "her role was decisive for the film: it was necessary that the mother should destroy the childhood happiness but that one would feel the need to go with her at the same time. That's what Natasha managed to achieve."