BABY FATHER
NOWHERE SPECIAL I A dying man seeks a family for his son in this true-life weepie…
When Uberto Pasolini (Still Life) spotted a newspaper article about a terminally ill single father desperately seeking care for his fouryear-old son, he knew he had a story to tell. Three years later, the Belfast-set Nowhere Special arrives, with McMafia’s James Norton starring as a cancer-stricken John, who is all-too aware that time is ticking as he searches for a foster family for his young boy, Michael (Daniel Lamont).
Pasolini spent six months talking to parents who adopt, and those who work in adoption and fostering. “I also read a lot of books that deal with death, and about final years or months of life,” he says. As heartbreaking as the movie is, it’s not about death, he claims. “It’s about life. It’s how you live your life. And in this case, how you plan the life of your child for the future.”
Pasolini feels any parent will relate to Nowhere Special. “[It deals with] fatherhood, what it means to be a parent, and how you communicate with your child,” he says. “Parenthood is the most difficult job in the world. I have three daughters, and I live in constant worry and fear of not saying the right thing, not providing the right help.”
The film’s heart shines through the bond between John and Michael, though shooting with a four-year-old was anything but easy, due to the legalities of children working on film sets. “He was only available for two hours a day in front of the camera,” says Pasolini, “which means every time you shoot, after 15 minutes, you have to stop, give him six minutes, start again.”
It’s why the director pays tribute to Norton. “Daniel is extraordinary. But James made it happen. If I had another actor… most likely after two weeks, the other actor says, ‘OK, now you handle the kid, I do my job and you do your job.’ But instead, James enabled this friendship, to be always present on the set, so the kid was always comfortable.” It was special, you might say. JM
ETA | 5 MARCH / NOWHERE SPECIAL OPENS NEXT MONTH.