KSL Movie Show review: ‘Nowhere Special’ is amazingly inspirational
May 10, 2024, 11:00 AM
"Nowhere Special" is not only uplifting but amazingly inspirational.
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SALT LAKE CITY — The title certainly doesn’t indicate it, but this little gem is beyond special on so many levels.
Firstly, it’s based on a true story about a young father, John (James Norton) who has terminal cancer.
His wife fled back to her native Russia shortly after their son Michael was born. John has spent every moment he can to give his now four-year-old son (Daniel Lamont) a fun, fulfilling childhood.
But with no other relatives, John will be forced to give up Michael to a foster family.
Social Services is helping John meet a number of potential parents from which to choose, hoping to make the boy’s transition as easy as possible.
John is also of course hesitant that he might make the wrong choice. So far, he hasn’t met anyone that would be a good fit for his precious son.
Yeah, facial tissues will be advised.
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Secondly, the little boy who plays Michael is then-6-year-old Daniel Lamont. He has never acted before, but is such a natural that Norton described working with him as “one of greatest experiences of his career.”
He would be playful between takes, but when action was called, Daniel was fully back into his Michael character like a seasoned professional.
Six years old! Plus, this script and storyline were no walk in the park, dealing with adoption, losing a parent, you name it.
The temptation as a filmmaker would be to over-dramatize the situation, but the film walks that tightrope beautifully, never feeling like it is anything but genuine.
With little to no money, John works his tail off as a window cleaner, a tough, grueling job, up and down ladders all day, with cranky customers suggesting “he missed a spot.”
But at the end of each day, he comes home to feed, play and read to his son with what little energy he has left.
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I was so invested in these characters, that each time they would visit a nice family, I thought, “Oh no! They are not right for this kid!”
Understanding the direction this film is headed would suggest a dark, uncomfortable experience awaits you, but nothing could be further from the truth.
“Nowhere Special” is not only uplifting but amazingly inspirational.
This film will stay with me for a long while.
Plus, I fully expect to see this Daniel Lamont in many great roles to come, although his mom says he’s not that sold on becoming an actor. Good for him. Enjoy being a kid.
The rest will be there if he someday wants it.
