Nowhere – Netflix Review (3/5)

NOWHERE on Netflix is a new thriller from Spain. The story takes place in a dystopian future, but for many it’s reality. This is essentially a refugee story that turns into a desperate fight for survival. While the setting is fictional, many elements aren’t. Read our full Nowhere movie review here!

NOWHERE is a new Netflix thriller with a story that should hit viewers hard. Not only is it a survival story – something many genre fans enjoy – it’s also a movie that shows a world that is the reality for many. Anyone who watched the news as the US (and its allies) withdrew from Afghanistan, will recognize the pure desperation.

This new Netflix movie is very much a story about being a refugee. This means dealing with human traffickers, taking chances that have very poor odds, and trying your best to stay alive as you escape a world that is killing you. The whole first act is brutal to watch for many reasons, and then it turns into a survival story of one woman lost at sea.

Continue reading our Nowhere movie review below. Find it on Netflix from September 29, 2023.

A dystopian world that isn’t that foreign

In Nowhere, the story begins in Spain where “The Regime” has taken over and is implementing some brutal measures. We’re in a dystopian version of Spain where there’s a scarcity of food and energy, so people are being “removed” if they have no real value. That means old people, children, and pregnant women.

Mia (Anna Castillo) is a pregnant woman, which means she is not allowed to exist.

Along with her husband, Nico (Tamar Novas), and many other pregnant women – and their families, if they still have any left – they are trying to desperately flee the totalitarian country, they’re trapped in. They do so by hiding in a container, which is heading to a freight ship going to Ireland. Apparently, Ireland is one of the few countries refusing to adhere to these crazy “culling” methods.

Of course, trying to escape a country via a freight container is a very real world for many. As is the horror of being a woman in several countries worldwide. In other words, this dystopian world may not be real, but just like The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s based on things that are already happening in the real world now.

For Mia, things go from bad to worse when she and Nico are forcibly separated. After a few more brutal and heartbreaking events, Mia makes it onto the ship, but then a violent storm throws her into the sea. Still inside a container and before long, contractions begin. No longer alone, because she has an infant to care for, she is still adrift in the middle of the ocean.

The ending of Nowhere on Netflix

While I did like the ending of the new Netflix movie Nowhere, I feel that it could have been stronger. There are the usual “everything that could possibly go wrong, will go very wrong”-moments that are just annoying. I know, I know, it’s for the thrill and drama of it all.

However, Mia has been so smart and focused for the longest time that some of the details irked me just a tad more than necessary.

Also, I kept waiting for some refugee stats or some sort of encouragement to help refugees. I mean, making a whole movie showing the horrors of being a refugee and what you need to go through and risk is important. However, when you then seem to completely ignore that this is the real world for millions worldwide, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I just don’t get it and I hope maybe they can remedy this by including some key facts about the refugees of the world right now.

Watch Nowhere on Netflix!

This Spanish Netflix survival movie was directed by Albert Pintó, who previously directed the horror movie Malasaña 32. And yes, at times, Nowhere does feel even scarier than an actual horror movie due to its realism. Albert Pintó also directed episodes of the Netflix series Sky Rojo and Money Heist, so he’s been working with the streaming giant for some time.

The thriller was written by Ernest Riera, Miguel Ruz, Indiana Lista, Seanne Winslow, and Teresa Rosendo. It’s based on a story by Indiana Lista and one that is so very important. In many ways and for reasons that should be easy to relate to. Especially if you pay just a little bit of attention to what’s going on in the world.

A truly brutal survival story that reminded me of Cast Away if Tom Hanks had been trapped in a freight container. With an infant. Yeah, it is a crazy situation, but Mia fights in ways that remind me of Matt Damon in The Martian. You just have to work with what you have and never give up. Despite an ending that could have been stronger, I highly recommend watching Nowhere!

Nowhere is out on Netflix worldwide from September 29, 2023.

Details

Director: Albert Pintó
Writers: Ernest Riera, Miguel Ruz, Indiana Lista, Seanne Winslow, Teresa Rosendo
Cast: Anna Castillo, Tamar Novas