On Netflix there is so much offer that finding perfect content to watch globally, universally, is one of the great mysteries of the contemporary audiovisual industry. Why something succeeds and why something similar, or simply better, does not, are questions that contain many unknowns. The experience of more than a century in cinemas means that box office collection predictions are quite accurate, and factors such as the seasons, box office competition or the degree of promotion are key factors, with a proven and almost predictable influence. At Netflix it is clear that advertising, highlighting a product on the cover, the budget or the stars also matters, but surprises are much more common.
Nobody expected that The hole became the most viewed Spanish film in the history of Netflix (now it is the predictable success of The Snow Society the one that occupies that place), just as it was impossible to predict that The squid game became the most watched series in the history of the platform, ahead of any English-speaking series (currently, Wednesday occupies that place thanks to nothing more and nothing less than a dance that went viral on TikTok…). However, as the years go by, science becomes more refined and it is clear that the Netflix audience likes overwhelming stories, with crazy and highly commentable premises, thrillers that keep you hooked from minute one. Somewhat superficial, okay, but they solve TV night for anyone, of any age and sex, and anywhere in the world. The biggest example of that is Blindly, the successful thriller in which Sandra Bullock had to walk a path with a child with a blindfold. Seeing her success also explains that of our protagonist today.
We are talking, perhaps you have already guessed, about Nowhere. Despite its name, it is a Spanish production that Netflix released in 2023 and, although its title misled some in Spain, it quickly became an international phenomenon. surpassed The hole in views and today it remains the third most viewed non-English speaking film in the history of Netflix, the second Spanish, only behind The Snow Society.
Directed by Albert Pintó, a regular Netflix television director in series such as The Money Heist either Sky Red and co-author of the particular film Kill God, Nowhere is a film that works very similarly to Sandra Bullock’s. However, their differences in achieving the same narrative sensations make it worth it.
The film places us quickly and without much context in a world dominated by a Regime that, given the scarcity of resources, is liquidating the expendable population. First it started with the dependents, it continued with the elderly, and now it has eliminated children and pregnant women. We follow a couple played by Tamar Novas and Anna Castillo who tries to flee the country by boat to Ireland, still free of the Regime. She, about to give birth, soon finds herself alone in a container and must fight for survival along with her newborn.
It’s a new road movie mortal with a woman and a baby as protagonists, which bases its overwhelming development on keeping the viewer’s hope alive in the protagonist’s survival despite the situation getting worse every five minutes. An overwhelming drama from which it is impossible to look away that deservedly became a viral phenomenon upon its premiere. But now, a year later, the film deserves to continue having life beyond virality, and word of mouth after the first shock. Nowhere He is still on Netflix hoping to increase his statistics.
