Mr. Nobody

Mr. Nobody - A Very Big Something of a Movie

I know I am going to be in the minority on this one, but Jaco Van Dormael's "Mr. Nobody", his first English language movie (and his first since 1996; what's that all about!), is a place where science fiction, fantasy and poetry all come together, and something of a triumph. A kind of reworking of 'Slaughterhouse Five', for the Chaos theory age, "Mr. Nobody" features Jared Leto as, well, quite a few incarnations of the same person, all with different lifelines, and all struggling for the things we all want.
Van Dormael shows himself to be a fan of sci-fi with references to Alfred Bester (the tattoos of the doctor), Sturgeon (the guys setting up reality), obviously Vonnegut, and Philip K. Dick (well, there's Mars, and timelines, and...), but that's really all window dressing to a poetic concern with choice, loss and possibility.
To my mind it brings back good memories of his earlier "Toto the Hero" (remember the dancing flowers and that song, 'Boom!' ). That movie dealt with alternative histories, choice and Fate too. However, whereas most European directors who make an English language movie rein in their preoccupations for Hollywood, Van Dormael really goes further out here than ever before. For many it will be over-ambitious. It is a difficult movie to stick with, and one that will not leave you with easy answers. But hell, I bought it! And I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it in a few other realities too....