U.K.

Troubled at home and bullied at school, 15-year-old Leigh is struggling to focus on her upcoming gymnastics competition. When Joe, her previously unknown half-brother, shows up at the front door in need of a place to stay, she finds a much-longed-for sense of connection and belonging. As the two form a friendship, Leigh finds herself drawn into Joe’s dangerous world.

Thirty-five-year-old window cleaner and single father John has dedicated his life to raising his son. Given only a few months to live, he traverses Belfast, visiting homes of the working class and wealthy alike. He has a singular goal: to find the perfect family to raise his toddler Michael. How can he carry out this impossible task? Inspired by true events in the UK, Nowhere Special is a tender tale of pure love, profound heartbreak, and parenthood.

Writer-director debbie tucker green daringly adapts her acclaimed stage work for the screen, a layered collection of scenes that give voice to the joys, struggles, triumphs, and defeats of the ongoing struggle for racial equality. Cinematic flourishes, from invigorating closeups and dynamic camera movement to riveting light design, give visual depth to the arresting dialogue. A blistering examination of racial injustice in the U.S. and U.K., ear for eye is a breathtaking work of anger, joy, and contemplation.[…]