Nowhere Review: Anna Castillo’s latest Netflix project is a dark Spanish survival thriller drama film directed by Albert Pinto. With Castillo as the titular character Mia, the movie also stars Tamar Novas, Tony Corvillo, Mariam Torres and others in a close-knit cast of actors. Nowhere has been written by Ernest Riera, Miguel Ruz, Indiana Lista, Seanne Winslow and Teresa de Rosendo.
Having a runtime of 109 minutes, the Spanish thriller features disturbing, gory images, violence and nudity. It’s now streaming on the platform with English subtitles and dubbed audio for international audiences as well.
Nowhere Movie Review Contains No Spoilers
Nowhere Review
Castillo’s character helms the story as the protagonist, a pregnant refugee woman trapped in a shipping container adrift in the ocean, and she must try to reach land before it’s too late. Additionally, her story is situated in the midst of a landscape that’s wrought with totalitarian violence. While she first sets on this escape journey from a war-ridden Spain with her partner Nico and dozens of other migrants, she’s eventually forced to part ways with him and survive on her own till they reunite again.
Though the movie is set in a dystopian society – that’s real for many but not experienced by some – this initially politically fractured society’s representation doesn’t fare well in the larger picture as it is soon discarded as an afterthought. The violence-centred massacres and genocides are cast adrift in the initial segments of the movie itself and are never picked up again to be delved into, and so these bits simply become a token sensational addition to the movie’s plot to eventually pull up the main picture into focus – a generic survivalist saga in the ocean.
Among the many reasons why Life of Pi worked its magic on the big screen, one was because a lot of the main character’s life is unravelled in front of us, despite him being imprisoned in the perennial azure prison of the sea. Whether through flashbacks or memories, a lot of colours and backstory are added to the protagonist’s character and suffering. However, this Netflix movie only ends up picking up quintessential archetypes of such movies and churns a hotchpotch of the mix to create Nowhere.
Even though we see Mia grapling with the worst of the worst situations, the film feels hollow and her ultimate escape is granted to her at the end of the movie, making her seem like a character who can’t be touched, let alone brought down by such hardships. In this romanticised done-a-thousand-times-before plotline, Mia already doesn’t suffice as a great character on paper because of she’s been reduced to her lost idenity as a mere wife or a mother. Anna Castillo does what she does best and pulls her character out of this deep pit of shallowness but even her portrayal can only go so far in keeping a one dimensional character afloat.
The direction and aesthetic world building is carried out impeccably and breathes realistic life into the project’s visuality as even you’ll start fearing a metal vessel floating in the middle of nowhere. However, the writing doesn’t do much justice to add any profound depth to the one character that is in action to pull herself to safety. Plus, other than the emotional solitude she’s thrust into eventually, she even seems to be untouched by the political and cultural unrest around her initially, leaving barely any traumatic scars on her.
She’s haunted by a past of her mistakes, which she holds on to as her prime “blunder” in life, but that address again merely seeps into the story as a short convenience to make us feel for Mia’s character, but not necessarily see her as a human being with a layered life. Even though we see Mia get hurt profusely, and despite this being a fight for survival, she’s almost made out to be a badass superhero instead of a person vulnerable enough to get knocked down by the storms and afflictions headed her way.
Her character’s innovative smartness definitely helps her stay alive, and that way the movie makes some strong points to be noted, but ultimately it’s only Castillo’s feeling and resilient portrayal that floats the boat. If not for her, this movie is merely a stale sensationalist addition in a sea of cinematic survivalist quests stranded at a single location.
Nowhere Netflix Film: Final Thoughts
Although the movie doesn’t make a good case for itself, it definitely shines the light on Castillo’s acting fervour and makes a really great case for her. There’s no doubt that she deserved better and should’ve led a better-written movie, but her adept resourcefulness has earned my constant admiration.
However, if you’re not too familiar with this genre of films, then you’re likely to be intrigued by this watch and may even enjoy it. But all in all, it’s yet another one of fairly forgettable Netflix films to be added to the OTT’s bursting roster of content.
She last appeared in the romantic Netflix web series A Perfect Story. Read its review here.
Nowhere is now streaming on Netflix.
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Boring…she and the kid sitting in a big box for 75% of the movie, the husband cannot be saved at all, typicall netflix doing it halfway,
Like could not military rescue him and the other.. a little bit shoothing down the smugler ass bastard..
I watched only 20 minutes of this, i just had to know if anyone survied at all,, and netflix usally shows no mercy on killing people off,
My score: 1.5 of 5 the could had done so much more but they ran out of money and time as usuall.