Netflix survival thriller Nowhere is shocking viewers with its claustrophobic and nightmarish scenario. It has struck so many imaginations that the validity of the story is being checked, and many are wondering if it’s based on a true story. The team here looked into it.
The movie was directed by Albert Pinto and stars Anna Castillo and Tamar Novos, but the premise has people wondering if it could, in fact, have its roots based on fact.
Although the basic narrative does leave little doubt about the authenticity of the film, it does appear to be set in some Spanish future dystopia. There are elements that resonate with audiences that feel the situation may be leaning into true events.
READ: Movies like Nowhere (2023)
A pregnant woman, separated from her partner and cast adrift in a shipping container that has fallen from a vessel, starts a fight for survival, not just for herself but the baby she is carrying.
Nowhere Plot Explained
In a European country, unrest and authoritarianism have led to people trying to flee for their futures. Mia, pregnant, and her partner Nico try to flee the hellish landscape that their home country has become, and they board a cargo ship full of containers in a bid to escape.
The conditions, though, are terrible, and the force of a storm at sea leads to Mia being isolated in a shipping container and thrown off the vessel they were traveling on.
Alone, ready to give birth in a container that is taking on water, Mia has to use every resource she can to survive.
Is Nowhere on Netflix based on a true story?
No, the film is fictitious, but people may be resonating with the subject matter, leading to some assuming this could be true.
With news of war and immigration heavily presented by the media, it is easy to see why certain elements of the film may be seen as a depiction of what refugees may face in efforts to escape.
However, this particular film is not based on any real case.
Are there any similar movies to Nowhere?
The sea is an unforgiving mistress, and there have been many other movies that give a similar vibe to Nowhere. I immediately think of 2016’s The Shallows, which again features a woman on her own, stranded at sea and struggling to survive.
Blake Lively pretty much holds the whole thing together, playing surfer Nancy, who finds herself stranded on a rock in the sea, with the shore in sight, but unable to get back as she is being stalked by a shark looking for its dinner. The shark has managed to take a nibble out of Nancy’s leg and is tenaciously figuring out how to get more.
In a similar vein, Open Water from 2003 tells the story of a couple that finds themselves alone in the ocean and surrounded by sharks. This film is based, rather loosely, on a true story that finds the couple separated from the scuba diving group when the boat leaves without them.
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The nightmarish scenario would shock audiences, and the hopelessness of the situation makes for bleak viewing.
One more that might interest you stars Hollywood royalty Robert Redford, who, like our other featured protagonists, is on his own for most of the film and has barely any lines. All is Lost from 2013 finds Redford in trouble after his boat collides with a shipping container, damaging it and stranding him at sea.
With no radio or navigation equipment, Redford’s situation escalates as the boat is slowly sinking, and he is injured. This is another gripping struggle for survival at sea that you should really check out if you enjoyed Nowhere.
What did you think of Netflix’s Nowhere, and did you feel it was based on a true story? Comment below.
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