Review ‘Nowhere Special’: a triumph of sensitivity and good taste

From Northern Ireland, Nowhere special is the poorly titled but beautifully made and deeply moving film about John, a 34-year-old window cleaner and devoted single father of a three-year-old son, Michael, and his arduous journey to find a loving new family for the child after a terminal illness disease has been diagnosed. The results of his painful but committed responsibility to leave his beautiful boy with the perfect foster parents are heartbreaking, but the film – produced, written and directed by Uberto Pasolini – is a triumph of sensitivity, humanity and good taste that admirably captures all transcends boundaries. tendency inherent in the common label ‘tearjerker’.

The thick Irish brogues make it difficult to hear the dialogue at times, but the two British co-stars – acclaimed actor James Norton and small newcomer Daniel Lamont – are so human and real that you still eagerly follow everything they do and say. This is a quiet, thoughtful film with direction that takes the time to honestly reveal character and realistically clock motivations – with a welcome absence of sniveling histrionics.

Norton’s compelling performance in which John manages to soberly rationalize his character’s decisions and bravely face his circumstances, but his heart is heavy and he does not consider himself blameless. He annoys the adoption agents by taking so much valuable time to find potential perfection in Michael’s next family that you grow to love him as you get to know him, flaws and all. There is nothing careless or wasteful about Pasolini’s screenplay. Even the scenes without action or dialogue contribute to the admirable character development. This is the biggest decision of John’s life, and he is tormented and frustrated by others’ inability and impatience to understand it. He does everything he can to ensure that his son’s survival will take place in a special place, so I don’t understand why this film is titled Nowhere special. Forget it. In one of the best performances I’ve seen this year, James Norton is strong but sensitive, especially in the scene where he tries to explain to the child how to feel and behave when Dad is gone. The intimacy of his relationship with little Daniel Lamont is a revelation. For a film about loneliness and death, it is tender, intelligent and life-affirming, without ever becoming sentimental and mawkish. A rare and distinguished film indeed.