NOBODY KNOWS I'M HERE (2020)

Rated:  NR

STARS: Jorge Garcia, Millary Lobos, Gaston Pauls,
Alejandro Goic, Luis Gnecco 
DIRECTOR: Gaspar Antillo
GENRE: Art House

Thirty years after Milli Vanilli hoaxed the music world when it was discovered the popular duo were not the ones singing on their records, we have Nobody Knows I'm Here, Chilean Gaspar Antillo's debut directorial effort in a Netflix original film about a similar bait and switch that did great damage to two young lives.

Memo (Jorge Garcia) lives on his uncle's remote Chilean sheep farm, hiding from the past and fantasizing about what might have been. As a child, he possessed a wonderful singing voice, but he was a tubby kid--not "star" material appearance wise, so his father (Alejandro Goic) strikes a deal with a shady music producer to have another child performer, Angelo (Gaston Pauls), become the embodiment of Memo's voice and go on to become a music star. Lip-synching all the way to the bank as it were.

A seething Memo attacks Angelo for his deception and puts him in a wheelchair for life. Twenty-five years later, a reunion is planned for the two of them to appear on a TV show to ostensibly bury the hatchet. What happens on that show will be explosive!

Up until that point, we see Memo as an introverted man-child, who initially hides when a young local woman, Marta (Millary Lobos), shows up at the farm. But Marta takes a shine to him, and slowly begins to draw him out. Marta, and a viral video, will change everything.

Watching a Chilean art-house film, I really didn't know what to expect. This is my first one! But I liked the way the plot elements were revealed in their own good time, maintaining an air of mystery throughout the film. And Memo, dealing with his conflicting urges to isolate and to nurture the performer that still lives inside, is a multi-faceted character, done justice by the lead actor. He twirls and dances around in his homemade costumes when no one is looking. For a  big fella, he's pretty light on his feet. 

The title song is catchy and may stick in your mind for some time. And Jorge Garcia really can sing!

My only disappointment in Nobody Knows I'm Here is the abrupt ending. I would have liked more of a denouement.

Grade: B+

JILL'S TAKE

You beat me to it, Tim. I was all set to expound on Fab Movan and Robert Pilatus' pop music debacle (i.e. Milli Vanilli) when you stole my thunder. (Pilatus later committed suicide.) Thankfully the main character in Nobody Knows I'm Here doesn't suffer the same fate. 

I really enjoyed this unique film. So original. The first-time director Gaspar Antillo uses silence and visual contrasts masterfully. One moment we see Memo's pudgy fingers sewing sequins on a cape. Then we cut to his hamhock hands covered in blood from skinning sheep. For some, the pace may be too slow. For me, I was glued to the TV wondering what would happen next? 

When I was forewarned that it was a foreign film, I dreaded the thought of subtitles because my TV screen isn't that big. Thankfully it was in English. Dubbed, no doubt. But you couldn't tell. Which brings me to my one nitpicking comment. The song (from which the title of the movie is taken) is in English. Definitely not dubbed. So how come a hit song in Chile is in English? (I told you it was nitpicky!)

Other than that, Nobody Knows I'm Here is a winner. And the actress, Millary Lobos, who plays Memo's girlfriend-in-the-making does a beautiful job of loving him for his talent and uniqueness. The fact that she herself is no raving beauty makes it all the more believable.

Clearly this tale couldn't have been made if they had The Voice in Chile. (It's a reality show where the judges can't see the singers before choosing them!) 

Grade: A -