Nowhere Special

A moving, but not overly sentimental drama about a young father who is trying to make the best of an impossible situation.

A story of a fathers love. His impending death forces him to find his young son a new home. It moves quite slowly but offers many tender and loving moments. The daily events were not particularly exciting or noteworthy. Eileen O'Higgins was cute. Overall, it was worth watching if you are in the mood for this sort of drama.

This is a sad, poignant film that's surprisingly matter-of-fact, while also somehow subtle and under stated. It's quite moving when you think about it and also thoughtful. You can see the father, John, really cares about what happens to his young son. James Norton and Daniel Lamont both give powerful performances as father and son. The fact its loosely based on a true story makes it more moving, if anything. A sad but powerful watch, I'd definitely recommend this film, yes.

Nowhere Special is a rarity in that it delivers a fairly novel premise without injecting too much bravado or melodrama. Pasolini's subdued direction makes for a slow film, but doesn't shy away from a quick tension-build-and-release in random mundane scenes (supermarket trolley sequence), almost akin to a horror film without the jump scare. He also injects a glib humour in the film via the peculiar prospective parents. The lack of score until the end also sets the mood. Norton carries the film.

James Norton is getting better and better. Hope he can win some Oscars one day.