Nowhere Special (2020)
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A terminally ill father must navigate the heartbreaking process of finding a new home for his young son.
The story
John, a single father to four-year-old Michael, receives a terminal cancer diagnosis. Because Michael's mother left when the boy was only six months old, John is faced with the urgent task of finding a new adoptive household for his son. To accomplish this, he is forced to participate in a series of auditions. While many potential parental pairs reveal themselves to be unsuitable or repulsive, John struggles with the weight of the decision, wanting to ensure Michael has the life and opportunities he never had while grappling with his own declining health.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
John, a single father to four-year-old Michael, receives a terminal cancer diagnosis. Because Michael's mother left when the boy was only six months old, John is forced to find a new adoptive household for his son. He participates in a series of auditions where many potential parents prove to be unsuitable. However, he meets a woman who is honest about her identity and her inability to have biological children, though her husband refuses to adopt. As John's health declines, he eventually explains his illness to Michael, telling him he will live in his heart. John creates a memory box containing letters, tools, and photos for Michael. In the final moments, John and Michael reveal they have chosen the single mother as Michael's future parent.
- First release year
- 2020
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- Italy; France
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Uberto Pasolini
- Writers
- Uberto Pasolini · writer
- Cast and characters
- James Norton · John; Daniel Lamont · Michael; Eileen O'Higgins · Shona; Valerie O'Connor · Ella; Valene Kane · Celia; Keith McErlean · Phillip; Siobhán McSweeney · Pam; Chris Corrigan · Gerry
- Genres
- drama
- Themes
- adoption; father-son relationships; terminal illness; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- drama; heartbreaking; somber
- Premise and plot tags
- drama; independent; adoption; father-son
- Source material / true-story basis
- a story he had read about a terminally ill father who needed to find a new family for his son before dying
- Reception
- The film holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 60 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 7.9/10 · scale: 10 · review count: 60
- Awards and nominations
- British Independent Film Award · Best Actor · 2021 · Nomination
- Production trivia
- James Norton joined the cast in September 2019.; Principal photography began in August 2019.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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