Starring: Lilit Lesser, Josefine Glæsel, Orlando Seale
Director: Sian Astor-Lewis
Country: UK
Over the course of 24 hours, teenage best friends Tulip (Lesser) and Finn (Glæsel) head out on an alcohol-fuelled day around London. Tulip is trying to hide her feelings for her friend, while Finn lashes out at everyone around her, navigating her gender identity and furiously concealing that she was sexually abused by Tulip’s uncle (Seale). As day turns to night, their antics turn darker, with rebellion making way for wanton hedonism.
Tulip is a sweet character, but Finn is abrasive and boorish, serving as a terrible influence over her. Angry, aggressive and intense, it’s really difficult to comprehend why Tulip even tolerates Finn, let alone harbours unrequited feelings for her. Of course, Finn’s motivation is at the crux of this story, but it’s difficult to fully invest in a character that’s that irate, that obnoxious and that furious all of the time.
Very much a character-piece, not all that much happens over the course of the day. Moving at a glacial pace, it’s also not helped that much of the dialogue is mumbled or slurred, making it very difficult to follow. Cameo scenes from other characters do spice up some sequences, but the overall narrative arc is more a narrative flat, feeling like it’s drunk on its own self-importance.
To Nowhere feels like two characters searching for a plot, but until they find one, they will be going “to nowhere”. Do you see what I did there...?
UK Release: 30th June 2023 in cinemas, released by Grapevine Films
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