User reviews

It's beautiful, real, touching and very well made. It delivers lots of feelings and easily moves you without any forced efforts. Story is emotional, nicely written and flows beautifully. The father-son relationship is so beautiful and performances by Norton and the little kid are superb. But it's simple and slow-paced so don't see it if you're not into this genre.

I don't really understand the negative reviews calling this film slow and underwhelming. I think what these reviews miss is how hard it is to tell a difficult story like this gracefully and without using standard tropes. Nowhere Special achieves this by never falling into the melancholy of the story, but rather using the sadness to highlight the small and beautiful moments in each day.

The central performance from James Norton is understated yet captivating. He does so much work with only facial expressions to convey the deep emotions his character is experiencing and his chemistry with the equally stunning Daniel Lamont was incredible.

An important story and beautifully told.

This movie stirred my emotions so much I was going to turn it off. Hard to watch from a parents point of view. But I'm glad I did not.

Everything from the story, to acting to the cinematography and directing, to the locations, tells a great story. A little gem of a movie. Nice to see a Northern Ireland film that doesn't focus on the troubles.

In this age of raucous blockbuster franchises, where more is more & each one vies to outdo the last, into this maelstrom drops "Nowhere Special".

This is a work of extraordinary restraint, a real tribute to the film makers art. In other hands it could have been a schmaltzy, cloying dose of sentimentality. I dread to think of what American directors would have done with it. This, however, has been handled with the lightest touch, a guiding hand that has drawn out the very best from the whole cast. I normally *loathe* child actors, they set my teeth on edge!. The young boy in this is in another league altogether. At no point does he appear to be "acting" or forced. The relationship between father & son is utterly & completely believable at all times. James Norton's tactic of befriending his young co-star, over an extended period of time, is evident in the ease with which they interact throughout.

I really can't recommend this film highly enough. From the sensitive handling of an imminent death; to the stunning acting; to the use of the Belfast backdrop & lastly, the *beautiful*, sparing use of the perfect music. I streamed this & I never bother to watch end credits (unless it's one of those tricksy superhero movies that sneak in a cheeky bit at the end!) but I stayed with this to the very end, transfixed by the beauty of a musical score that served as the perfect elegy to the film.

This is that increasingly rare thing, a film with integrity & heart, the perfect tribute to the people who actually went through this. Kudos to everyone concerned in the making of this film & they deserved far better from the box office.

This will break your heart from the first scene onwards but stick with it and I promise that it will also: 1. Inspire you 2. Make you look at all sorts of things through another light, and most importantly 3. Leave you as a better person As a single father who has brought up two boys from the ages of seven and two, countless aspects of this film resonated with my own experiences, despite never having been anywhere close to the situation that transpires (except in my most troubled times and imagination). My sons are now twenty and seventeen and have become their own wonderful selves desoite my fumbling efforts along the way, but I truly wish I had seen this at the start of my own journey.

Brilliant writing, direction and most of all career defining performances, in particular from James Norton, but also barely credible from such a young actor as Daniel Lamont, as well as all the supporting cast.

If I could, I would have given this 20+ stars... choose your time to watch it, but never has 'must watch' more applied.

I was thoroughly impressed by this film. The story is beautifully developed, and convincingly told. The messages are very effective. It makes you feel them with your heart, without the need to use clichés and dramatic scenes. Less is more in this film, and it is truly special.

Sweet but sad film with a simple understated performance from James Norton, and Daniel Lamont as his son is lovely

Eileen O'Higgins also deserves a mention.

Enjoyed movie very much and cried. A lot.

This is serious drama, not for teens definitely.

Acting was very good and the plot too.

Movie about real people, real situations, parenting and heartache.

100 out of 10.

Nicely out together film. Some very sad moments interlaced with touching scenes. The child actor is excellent and there is really well played relationship between father and son.

Not exactly a feel-good movie but nonetheless worth watching.

An absolutely impressive story...really deep and filled with emotions. James Norton shows his amazing ability to reflect love and grief at the same time; and mostly in silence. Daniel Lamont' s performance is also really touching and adorable. One can easily believe and completely trust the father-son relationship and their love.

Make you sad, made to make you think, made to make you plan whereever you are in life, and the ultimate tearbuster for everyone who adores children. Didnt cry but made the grumpy old man think...

A film to remember and such a fine performance by James Norton and the little boy. A truly emotional journey and Pasolini's direction and screenplay are breathtaking.

I've always been an admirer of Norton!s work but this is him at his very best. Can't recommend it highly enough if you can brave the tears.

Watching a 3 yo cute boy to act is so natural with the heartbreaking situation, just feel terribly sorry and hope this is not based on true event. Life can be so suck sometimes for someone. Make your life colorful if u are lucky ones. Obviously I think too much after watching this but it's true.

Nowhere Special

A strange touchy-feely movie about letting go. One minute it is suggested that the dying father wishes to be entirely forgotten by his young son as knowledge of his demise will impact adversely on his childhood and the next he does all he can to imprint indelible memories on his early years.

The whole process of adoption is drawn out presumably so he can spend the maximum time with his son, I felt this drawn out process was more damaging than anything on the young boy, in fact it was self-evident!

The movie was glacially slow as if this pace increased the emotionality, but it made me frustrated. All drama is a compression of reality this was hardly compressed and practically in real time so it lacked any dramatic impetus.

The movie then descended into an essay as to why different people adopt but this question is unanswerable as every person is different and adopters don't fall into types.

The acting was first rate from James Norton and the accent was impeccable but to my mind it was a movie that just didn't need to be made. There were certainly no gems or insight and the movie just didn't say anything as it lacked a voice.

At best this is a weak 4 outta 10, all for James's brilliant emotional acting.

You'll need a box of tissues to watch this film. It's a very rewarding, sad film with stunning performances. James Norton is wonderful in the lead role and the young child, Daniel Lamont playing his son is sensational. It's hard to believe it's his first role.

You feel every moment in this film and imagine yourself in the same predicament. It's what films should be, engaging, character driven and believable at every stage. It moved me immensely.

Fantastic but heartbreaking story. Norton is excellent. Nice to see Northern Ireland on the big screen too. A movie that's full of heart.

If you enjoy slow, sweet, sad films, this one really works. Lovely acting by both James Norton and the little lad. Moving but never maudlin, there are some funny moments in the beautifully realistic interactions between dad and son. James Norton apparently took time before filming to develop a friendship with the lad and that really shows. My one criticism is that my partner and I both found the dialogue a bit hard to follow at times, partly due to balance and partly down to the lad's small voice - subtitles would have helped. But with all the important stuff happening in the two faces, I found it a joy to watch.

One of the best movies I've ever seen, such a well-made film with great acting - especially from James Norton. A very emotional movie, don't think I've ever cried so much at a movie before! But so glad I've watched.

Beautifully written and filmed with incredible acting but it's over the top heartbreakingly sad. It's as if they set themselves an objective to be the saddest film you will ever see! I cried from start to finish, at times in complete hysterics. Don't watch if you cry at films you will be sad for days!

This is so emotional......Bunch of feelings in one movie. Its a simple story, but well acted, scripted and directed. Made me cry......I don't understand why some people have given a negative feedback.

Must watch!

A very slow-moving beginning, encouraged me to skip forward and watch the very end. Then I went back to try to fill in some missing details and found myself more impressed by the middle section of this film.

While I think it's true there's nothing really new here, the central performance of James Norton is really very special. He is so believable in the role. I never once felt he was an actor playing a part. Nor did I ever feel his character was focussed on anything other than his struggle to make the right decision(s) for his son.

So, nothing really new here, but worth watching for James Norton's wonderfully believable performance.

One should watch this movie with their family, regardless of age. Go into it with no advanced insight into the plot. We all can learn something from this film, and if you cannot then something is truly wrong with you.

A window cleaner looking like James Norton could have taken Michael to school and all the young teachers would have come out, and fought their way past the single mums. Problem solved!

There is a strange disconnect with real life in this for all it purports to reflect it. The sparse dialogue doesn't help. The little boy is sweet, fortunately.

A smattering of attempted philosophy doesn't work either.

The actors try and Norton rises above it all but in the end it's the miserable screenplay that lets it down until the 'happy' ending (know thy place!)

A slow paced movie with a clear intention to showcase and build upon a father-son relationship whilst maintaining the realistic mundanity of a fathers life as he navigates through accepting his own mortality and the sacrifices to be made. Both actors make an excellent pair, conveying emotions almost naturally, that you forget they're acting. An honest and compassionate story that can evoke multitudes of feelings and teach you something about life.

One of the many purposes of film is to reawaken compassion and a deeper understanding of others.

This film achieves this wonderfully.