Nowhere Boy, 2009

Nowhere Boy, 2009
Director: Sam Taylor-Wood
Cast: Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Josh Bolt


Nowhere Boy in short: Imagine John Lennons childhood A spirited teenager, curious, sharp and funny, growing up in the shattered city of Liverpool. Two extraordinary sisters tussle for his love - Mimi, the formidable aunt who raised him from the age of 5 and Julia, the spirited mother who gave him up to Mimis care. Yearning for a normal family, John escapes into art and the new music flooding in from the US. His fledgling genius finds a kindred spirit in the young Paul McCartney. But just as Johns new life begins, the truth about his past leads to a tragedy he would never escape.


Stage: home theatre

Preps: I wanted to see this in the local theatre, but I missed it. I am a fan of good biographies, especially about famous musicians - the stories that are never shared with the public and all you get to see in present is yellow media/press interesting stories. However, where are the roots of these people - seldomly shared with audience. Hence, a big welcome in my head to yet another supposed to be good biography.


Reality: The movie grasps my attention in an instant. I once listened to the Beatles a lot, and am still a great admiror. However, I never thought about the pre-story. Who was Lennon indeed when he was young? Or in my case, who was McCartney, how did they meet, where did they start jagging on the stage, etc. This is the piece that gives an answer to this up to some level. Doesn't answer how the final crew gathered (by the time the movie ends, there's still Ringo missing). But the other three find themselves more as a coincidence. The relationships and bonding between them, also the relationships in the family - brilliantly shown.
The scenery is perfect, english surroundings, rock n'roll times and obsession with Presley and protagonists of that era. The music in the movie is superb and takes you right up the hill of that time - pushes you into the situations the main cast is showing. Some things you cannot believe existed; like obsession in the movies, when looking at Presley, or jukebox dancing. Did you know rock n' roll means sex? Well, the mother of Lennon gives a good interpretation of this quote in this piece. The relationship between her and Lennon seems to deepen, nevertheless, too many questions remain unanswered.
The movie is a short insight, yet picturesque and filled with emotions. A good one, showing how life can turn up great even if one decides for music - at that point something noone could understand. The idea was that one cannot make a living out of music and that building/making music was for dreamers that will never make a buck out of it.



My personal rating: 7,0 (more than decent insight into Lennon's childhood and first beginnings. And I adore the young look of Paul McCartney.)


Nowhere Boy on IMDB

Nowhere Boy official site