Sam Taylor-Wood's debut feature** Nowhere Boy**, a biopic of John Lennon's formative years, has been picked as the closing film at this year's The Times BFI London Film Festival.
Set in 1955, Nowhere Boy sees Taylor-Wood, previously best known as a Turner Prize-nominated member of the Young British Artists movement, delving into British pop lore to tell the story of John Lennon's childhood in Liverpool. Lennon (Aaron Johnson) is caught between the buttoned-up aunt Mimi (Kristen Scott Thomas) who raised him, and his forceful mum Julia (Anne-Marie Duff). It's the kind of domestic set-up that can drive a 15 year-old to rock'n'roll rebellion, and, in Lennon's case, that's exactly what happens. He meets a young Paul McCartney and George Harrison and the rest is musical history. It's Beatle Babies.
Alongside opener Fantastic Mr. Fox, Nowhere Boy provides a fascinating bookend to the festival. Taylor-Wood has assembled a talented cast (including Kick-Ass' Johnson) and a pedigree writer in Control's screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh, with financing from the UK Film Council's Development fund. It sounds like it has the potential to follow Control and forge an indie hit from British rock heritage.
For those not lucky enough to be able to score a ticket to its LFF premiere, **Nowhere Boy **is out in the UK on December 26.
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