Life of Wry

I’ve always liked my movies to pack an emotional punch.. tragedy, sadness, betrayal… anything that reaches in, touches the heart, evokes a response. Even if it’s hard to watch, even if I cry through a good part of it, even if I walk out a zombie.

The movie Jim and I saw on Friday was one of those. About a 30-something father who has terminal brain cancer, who is solo-parenting a 4-year old boy. The boy’s mom (maybe the protagonist’s wife at one time) walked out and left her son when he was an infant. The dad is very working class (cleans windows for a living in Ireland) and the movie follows him as he’s looking for a family to adopt his kiddo, the center of his world. It’s all about finding the right family for his sweet boy (whatever that might look like, and the story includes numerous variations on that theme), the immense sadness and loss at not getting to see how his son’s story will unfold, and just the deep and beautiful bond between a patient, loving dad and an innocent, vulnerable (and very cute) kid.

I found it affecting, moving and just so beautiful. Worth seeing. A story about the precious love between kids and their parents and a reminder of what matters most in life. It’s surprisingly direct and understated… a quiet study, not a manipulative move in sight.

Nowhere Special was made in 2020.

(That ice cream’s going to drip all over his dad.)