Nowhere Special

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.

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.

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.

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.