Institute History
Description
Growing up in Liverpool in 1955, and raised by his aunt and late uncle, John is a smart, spirited, but directionless, teen who skips school, steals records, and is told he’s going nowhere. Having brought rock music into the "house of Tchaikovsky," John widens the rift with Aunt Mimi when he seeks out his estranged mother, to whom he forms an immediate attachment. Full of energy and sexuality, his mother encourages John’s interest in music, inflaming the rivalry with her sister, Mimi. In opening the door to a painful past, John seeks refuge in music—a journey that leads to The Beatles.
British artist Sam Taylor Wood sees this formative period of John Lennon’s life as a way to explore a maturing artistic sensibility. Written by Matt Greenhalgh (Control), and featuring bright newcomer Aaron Johnson and a smattering of the early repertoire, Nowhere Boy avoids biopic nostalgia, focusing instead on an adolescent soul discovering his voice. "Nowhere" proves an important part of the journey.