Nowhere (2023) Review – A Thrilling Situational Drama

By Amanda Guarragi
Published: September 29, 2023 (Last updated: September 29, 2024)
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Nowhere Netflix Promotional Image
'Nowhere' Promotional Image (Credit - Netflix)
3.5

Summary

Mia is a mother who is fighting to stay alive in this thrilling situational drama at sea. Anna Castillo is the driving force of this film and gives a strong performance as a pregnant woman locked in a cargo ship.

Nowhere is a thriller directed by Albert Pintó. It takes place in the middle of the ocean, which is a very scary place for anyone because of the dark depths. No one really knows what’s out there, and no amount of movies will be able to explain it. The film stars Anna Castillo and Tamar Novas as husband and wife. Castillo gives a strong performance and is the beating heart of this film.

Pintó wanted to highlight the experience of those fleeing a war-torn country. It is a difficult journey for a husband and wife on the cargo ship, and many people can relate to not wanting to be torn away from their family. From the beginning, this film draws you in because of the characters and their emotional ties.

Nowhere is a powerful Spanish thriller with a woman at the forefront. After running from the place she called home for so many years to escape the war, she is now put in a position to survive on her own. She was able to do anything with her husband and knew that she could fight with him against anything.

After fleeing the country in the opening scene, she knows that she is about to experience life in a different way. Mia (Castillo) is pregnant to boot, and she is placed on this cargo ship with her husband and many others who are fleeing the country. It’s a secretive operation, and they had to sneak around a shipping yard for them to escape.

Mia is a force of nature in this film because of what she goes through. When the cargo ship is at sea, the conditions aren’t the greatest. She sees other mothers taking care of their children, and she wonders if she would be a good mother.

Without much dialogue, Castillo conveys every emotion through her eyes. Even though she is scared for her life, she is resilient enough to escape and keep fighting for her unborn child, which is the driving force in the second half of this film.

It is a situational thriller with a slow-burn setup with the characters on the cargo ship. What unfolds in the cargo ship is bloody and brutal. The more Mia stays on the ship, bad things continue to happen to her, and then she’s stranded out at sea.

All Mia wanted to do was be with her husband, and now she is fighting for her survival. Castillo is alone for the majority of the second half, but her performance is what carries the drama.

Nowhere is definitely worth watching because of Castillo’s performance and the premise. Even though it takes place in a cargo ship in the middle of the ocean, it’s still engaging at every turn. The more we stay with Castillo, the better her performance gets. To be alone for the majority of the film without saying much is difficult to connect to, but her emotional range during her journey at sea is enough to lock in viewers.

This film also shows that no matter if a woman is pregnant or not, they will get anything done. The lengths that Mia goes to save herself and her unborn baby are inspiring. She thinks on her feet and is quick to fix any situation, even if it doesn’t go her way. Mia realizes that she isn’t the only one out there and that the same thing is happening to many of her people who are fleeing the country.

If you are a fan of thrillers and can only take so many horror elements, then Nowhere is the film for you. It’s not scary, but the suspense will get you because of Castillo’s performance. The atmosphere that Pintó creates is somewhat claustrophobic and places you on the cargo ship with Mia. Due to her being pregnant, the time slowly passes, and viewers can see the time that she spent in there. It’s interesting to see how Pintó paces the film based on the pregnancy.

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