Nowhere

Nowhere
Starring Anna Castillo, Tamar Novas
Directed by Albert Pinto

Films that focus on one actor in a confined setting is tricky to pull off, because the general moviegoing public wants action happening every 2.5 seconds or they'll lose interest. The weight of the film lies solely on the shoulders of that one actor, and in the case of Ryan Reynolds in "Buried" or Tom Hanks in "Cast Away," it pays off in spades. Other times they fall into mediocrity and it becomes something you don't want to watch again. "Nowhere" falls on the second tier where it's not necessarily bad, and the lead actress does a commendable job, but it runs a bit too long to keep your attention and ultimately ends up as a movie you don't mind watching once, but probably never again.

In a dystopian future where women and children are being hunted and killed in Spain, married couple Mia (Anna Castillo) and Nico (Tamar Novas) are ushered away on a cargo ship but things go wrong and they're separated. Then Mia's cargo ship comes under attack leaving her - and her unborn baby - as the only survivors. She finds herself adrift in the ocean with the water rising, and relies on her cunning and ingenuity to use what she finds in the ship to get out alive, as well as going into labor and now having to save her young baby as well.


The Good:
"Nowhere" does seem to tell a story about immigration and the dangers of crossing borders for safety without proper protocol, but that's on the peripheral as the main focus of the film is Mia's fight for survival. It gives us a character to root for and also puts ourselves in her shoes - what would we do in her situation? Would we try to find any means to survive or just accept death? The movie showcases the strength of the human spirit and how far we'll go to survive, and does so with a great performance.

Anna Castillo is the anchor of this story and delivers a tough, compelling, and fearless performance as she plays Mia, a woman who doesn't only need to survive for herself, but for her newborn baby as well. She exudes an intellectual prowess that allows her to use the tools at her disposal to craft a way to escape, and it's fascinating seeing her progress from a meek woman who felt she couldn't get by without her husband to being solely on her own and relying on her own instincts.

The cinematography is gorgeous, with the sweeping sky and unforgiving water giving a sense of both dread and wonder, witnessing the power of Mother Nature at her fiercest and finest.


The Bad:
The film is almost two hours long, and the middle it tends to repeat itself and gives very slow moments that sometimes don't tie into the whole of the film, taking you away from the story. If it was ninety minutes it would've been tight, crisp, and concise - but it elongates moments that doesn't need it and drags on in moments.


The Summary:
While it's not inherently bad, "Nowhere" really goes nowhere in the ultimate storytelling mode though it does highlight the human spirit and how far we'll go to survive, it could've been shorter and would've been something of pure magic.


The Score: B+