esrosedotblog

RETHINKING

After 24 hours of reaction in my head, I amend my rating of Nowhere Boy (2009)

I will be rating it a 5 out of Netflix5 and I will be watching it again in a year or at the end of a long queue.

Here is what has hit me.

Many, if not all, scenes echo actual Lennon songs either in title or content.

The Lennon "character" shows extraordinary courage and what some would call stubbornness. What others might call "attitude".

He faces down actual physical danger in a way that even has a flair about it. Most of the vignettes that we see are true or true enough. Photos at the end show the actual boys, men and situations. Some are right out of the movie........wait a minute. The movie is right out of the real photos.

In addition, the triangle aspect of the character's development makes great sense from the viewpoint of coming of age. Two mothers. He seeks answers and demands getting them. He stays through the process despite considerable pain. The short part about his relationship with his uncle is glorious. You can see where the mischievousness came from as well as the irreverence for the status quo. Great love between the young and older man.

The film itself is very well made.

An interesting aspect of this production is that they faced the choice of actor look-alikes or actors who could convey the spirit and "attitude" of Lennon. They chose well in Aaron Johnson. Also the smaller parts of Paul and George. Not look alikes. Feel alikes.

This is one of the very few pictures that I watched the "making of sections". Very nice.

This is not what one would call a biopic. It is more a study of a boy becoming a man and, by the way, he chooses music as a form of expression of his rather sophisticated thoughts and feelings.

Labels: films