John Lennon’s teenage years in Liverpool provide fine dramatic material for this, the feature directorial debut of British artist Sam Taylor-Wood.
Starring Aaron Johnson, Nowhere Boy focuses on Lennon’s life from 1955, when he lived with his aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas) and drifted through Quarry Bank School dreaming of another life.
In particular focus is his belated relationship with his mother (Anne-Marie Duff), who abandoned him when he was 5, and who, after a troubled reconciliation, introduces the teenage Lennon to the release and sexual tension of rock ‘n’ roll.
Taylor-Wood reveals the emotional turbulence at the heart of Lennon’s family relationships against the meticulously defined background of a post-war Britain emerging from austerity. Elevated by outstanding cinematography by Seamus McGarvey and great performances all round, this is one of the most notable British films of recent years.