A peculiar, semisweet, slightly mysterious slow burn, “Nobody Knows I’m Here,” the debut feature of Gaspar Antillo, introduces its protagonist, Memo, by cutting between him at two ages. As a child (Lukas Vergara), he was a rising pop star. But as an adult (Jorge Garcia, best known as Hurley from “Lost”), he couldn’t be more anonymous: Living with his uncle (Luis Gnecco) on a sheep farm in Chile that can be reached only by boat, he is a giant man and probably a gentle one — although he has a habit of sneaking into others’ houses, and the prospect of attending a music festival seems to enrage him.
Whatever happened with his singing career haunts him to a degree that he now barely uses his voice at all, even to speak.
It’s a striking fate for the vocalist behind an English-language smash with the rather on-the-nose title “Nobody Knows I’m Here.” The movie, proceeding through gliding camera moves and stretches of plotless routine, concerns how Memo finally asserts his presence, thanks in part to a friendship with Marta (Millaray Lobos), who visits regularly from the mainland.
Memo, painting his nails and dressing up in a glittery garment, daydreams about the life that might have been. “Nobody Knows I’m Here” makes a narrative strategy out of withheld information, abrupt elisions and possible fantasy sequences. (An alarmingly profuse stress-vomit belongs in that last group, one hopes.) Not all the misdirection is elegant, but the film’s tenderness flowers in a lovely, unexpected final shot.
Nobody Knows I’m Here
Not rated. In Spanish, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes. Watch on Netflix.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
