TIFF 2021: Nobody Has to Know
TIFF 2021Tender, poignant and splendidly enigmatic, Nobody Has to Know is a well crafted and thematically brooding drama with two concrete performances on its helm from Bouli Lanners and Michelle Fairley. Breaking this feature down might not do justice with not only how gripping but genuinely how emotive the material is at hand.
One major aspect where Nobody Has to Know succeeds is in its narrative. Set on a remote Scottish island, the film follows Phil (Bouli Lanners), who, after suffering a stroke, loses his memory and worth within the local community; nevertheless, things are not as they seem. As Phil begins to recoup and get back on his feet, more and more information is unearthed about him and his life. Depth and material are ultimately brought about in a natural, organic take in the same circumstance as Phil learns and receives such information. This crafts an immersive experience with a concrete bond – not only for emotive connection with the lead character but also furthers interest in proceedings' enigmatic nature.
The latter of which the feature does a tremendous amount of work to build up to the point of almost excruciating pain to have it revealed. It might even come slightly enigmatic in reveal due to the undertones quite clearly leading to a certain degree of clarity within the film. Thankfully, this very aspect is further propelled about within a will-they-won't-they motif that has a beautiful and tender emotive blend brought forward due to the talents of both Lanners and Fairley, who separately and in unison craft wonderfully rich and brooding depth who both expertly externalise unspoken internal grief. This nature of performance is built up throughout the running time until the climatic and heartbreaking climax.
It is at this point, the feature comes to a complete circular conclusion and finalises itself in all of its emotional power. However, Nobody Has to Know prolongs itself to provoke a further emotional point that pushes the emotive weight to a degree in which it feels rather nasty and provokes an unnecessary dark finale. While said inclusion does not feel drastically out of place, for a feature that bubbles into a feel-good and warming sentiment, such an inclusion seems to undermine and detract from that very theme.
It could be argued that perhaps the film is ten minutes too long in the tooth for a truly touching and emotionally galvanising finale. However, it is no less an immersive and fabulous character study with just enough mysticism and reveals to curate a devastating narrative. Thankfully, this is masterfully shot by cinematographer Frank Van Den Eeden, who terrifically captures both the fractured relationship between internalised grief and the vast landscape of beauty in nature.
An equal amount of credit is deserved for Bouli Lanners, who not only writes and stars in this feature but also directs – the passion in the material is clearly on show. It is no doubt that Nobody Has to Know is a gem at this year's TIFF, but it is one that is built quite beautifully with performance and leads to a heartbreaking albeit prolonged ending – one that does not undercut the power that this feature holds.
