Pratik Handore
Directed by Albert Pintó, ‘Nowhere’ is a Spanish-language thriller drama movie that follows Mia, a young pregnant woman struggling to survive in hostile circumstances. Mia escapes a totalitarian country at war by hiding inside a maritime container aboard a cargo ship. In the process, Mia gets separated from her husband, Nico, and must do everything to survive for her unborn child’s sake. Given Mia’s perilous circumstances and fight for survival amidst the ocean’s hostility, viewers must wonder if the movie is based on a true story. If you are looking for answers about the inspiration behind ‘Nowhere,’ here is everything you need to know!
The Inspiration Behind Nowhere
No, ‘Nowhere’ is not based on a true story. The film is based on an original story by screenwriter Indiana Lista. Lista wrote the screenplay with Ernest Riera, Miguel Ruz, Seanne Winslow, and Teresa Rosendoy. The film tells a fictional story about Mia, a pregnant woman who escapes a war-torn country by hiding in a maritime container aboard a cargo ship. As a result, she must survive in grueling circumstances and protect herself and her newborn child from the perils of the sea. While the film is not based on any particular real events or true stories, Lista drew inspiration from the real-life experiences of immigrants to form the basic plot.
In an interview, director Albert Pintó stated that Lista knew a couple of Mexican migrants who tried to cross the border by hiding inside containers and trucks. The makers interviewed the migrants, and their stories partially inspired the film’s story. Pintó revealed that the writing team studied human trafficking routes in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua while researching for the film’s screenplay. The director also noted that shipwrecks are common in Spain, and the drama from such incidents was also incorporated into the fictional screenplay.
While the narrative is heavily influenced by several real-life incidents and personal experiences of migrants, the film itself is set in a fictional dystopian setting, where the protagonist, Mia, and her husband must escape a totalitarian country at war. The movie does not specify the circumstances of this war, and it is only loosely implied that the country at war is Spain. As a result, the sociopolitical events that form the story’s backdrop are entirely fictional.
However, the narrative draws a sense of realism through its emotional tale of survival depicted from a mother’s perspective. As a result, the perilous environmental circumstances Mia faces are balanced with emotional stakes, resulting in a dramatic tale of survival. Pintó stated that he intended to make a claustrophobic and atmospheric survival thriller with emotional drama at its core. Therefore, the movie is comparable to films such as the 2021 French film ‘Oxygen‘ starring Mélanie Laurent, and the 2000 survival drama ‘Cast Away‘ starring Tom Hanks.
Ultimately, ‘Nowhere’ is not based on a true story. The film’s basic concept of a pregnant woman trying to survive at sea for her unborn child’s sake is novel and lends a sense of emotional resonance to the narrative. While the film’s plot relies upon the tropes of formulaic survival dramas, the makers drew inspiration from real events for the circumstances and situations the main character finds themselves in. Moreover, the backdrop of a war-torn country adds a layer of sociopolitical drama that cements the narrative’s place in the realm of fiction.
Read More: Where Was Netflix’s Nowhere Filmed?
