I love a good underdog story. The Chinese animated film Nobody takes a familiar narrative trope – the bad guys pretending to be good, only to discover their own innate goodness along the way – and presents it as a hilarious fantasy adventure rendered in stunning 2D art that imitates the ink-wash painting style. The humor is so surprising, and the film’s character work is so detailed that, despite the protagonists being liars, bullies, and thieves, they still endear themselves to you and carry with them a universal characteristic: to go beyond what the social order has imposed upon them.
Yao are supernatural creatures that take the form of animals. They are called demons, they rob humans of food and belongings. Yao also have their own social order. Nobody follows two low-ranking yao of King’s Cave – Pig (Ziping Chen) and Toad (Yang Lu) – who work in the kitchen of the King’s Cave leader. Toad is happy having a job, but Pig desires more. He wants to be a powerful yao, rise through the ranks of King’s Cave, and become an enforcer.
But a hilarious mishap while cleaning dirty heirloom cauldrons leads to Pig and Toad being banished from King’s Cave. With no prospects ahead of them, Pig and Toad discover that the monk Tang Sanzang will soon be passing through the area on his way to seek powerful scriptures, along with Sun Wukong and other mighty warriors. Legend has it that any yao who eats Tang’s flesh will become immortal. Knowing that Sun Wukong could easily defeat any yao who tries to attack Tang, Pig and Toad decide to impersonate Tang and his group, hoping to beat them to the scriptures first, because whoever finds the scriptures would become powerful as well as immortal.
With the help of a weasel (Wenliang Dong) and a gorilla (Cong Liu), the four yao impersonate the famous Chinese heroes (immortalized by the novel Journey to the West) and embark on an adventure that uncovers the heroes within themselves.
Directed by Yu Shui and written by Yu Shui and Liu Jia, Nobody is a comic onslaught set within a fantasy adventure. The dynamic between Pig and Toad is reminiscent of many buddy films, with one being the more active and brash, while the other is more careful, cautious, and prefers the simpler, practical solution. Toad is often frustrated by Pig’s stubbornness and his penchant for getting them into danger, but he always returns. Their friendship is clear as day and serves as the emotional core of the story.
When weasel joins the group, he is a nonstop chatterbox that cannot stop talking – a source of many hilarious comics setups – while Gorilla is an extreme introvert who struggles to express himself and is prone to crying. From the get-go, we are introduced to four underdogs: yao who are truly at the bottom of the totem pole. They are so funny, and their relationships so well developed, that they quickly endear themselves to you, leaving you rooting for them to succeed.
The jokes are plenty and come in various styles – slapstick, witty banter, visual comedy, farce, and irony – and it translates well. As a fantasy adventure, we get to see quite a bit of fight scenes, and Nobody is unafraid to go over-the-top and truly explosive at the finale. It’s a careful buildup, so well executed that you don’t immediately realise how meticulous the script is in building up to its climax.
As an underdog story, what’s wonderful to watch here is the growth of Pig, Toad, Weasel, and Gorilla. It’s quite surprising that despite all the chaos and laughter that this film manages to evoke, it still manages to hit you at the center of your chest and leaves you with warm feeling inside. Much of the careful character work, often disguised as jokes, is actually setups that prepare you for the way by which the film turns 180 by the end of the second act. This is a film that can be enjoyed by both young and old (given that they are willing to read the subtitles).
Nobody was an extremely pleasant surprise for me, and I couldn’t believe how much fun I was having watching this movie. I’m not surprised it is the most successful 2D animated movie in China, and I’m so open to seeing more.
My Rating: 5 Stars
Big laughs, bigger heart. Nobody is a wildly entertaining animated surprise that deserves a big-screen watch. Check showtimes here.
