‘Nothing Man’ (2020) Is A Sympathetic, Compelling Thriller – Movie Review

Stephen Gallacher’s Nothing Man, a thriller about a homeless amnesiac, came at an interesting time for me. In Denver where I live, they are making a systematic, almost brutal effort to clear out the homeless. It’s even being framed as almost entertainment on the news. But the simple truth is that so many of us are just a paycheck or two away from being in a similar situation ourselves.

Synopsis:

The film stars Daniel Hall (Frostbite: Proof of Concept Film 2012) as Noam, a frightened amnesiac who has taken himself away from society, living life as a homeless man. When his only friend is murdered in cold blood, Noam sets out in search of justice and truth, but at the cost of unlocking his own checkered past.

Directed by Stephen Gallacher (Unexpected Item 2018) and co-written by Gallacher, Paul Butler (Book of Monsters 2018 – read our review here) and Jonathan Ashtown (Big Al 2012), Nothing Man also stars Jennifer Jordan (I Am Tim TV series) as Lana, a sweet, naive girl who stumbles into Noam’s world, and Ric Vince (Pieces Falling Into Place 2012) as Twink, the older man whose death sets the homeless man off on his journey to self discovery.

At the start of the film, we get to see that living as a homeless person is already a dangerous thing, made more so for Noam as he suffers from retrograde amnesia. This is apparently from a blow he suffered to the back of his head. He lives with other friends but is closest to Twink, so when he is killed, Noam is deeply disturbed. He joins forces with Lana, and the two attempt to solve his murder.

I really enjoyed Nothing Man. It is a low budget film, but one that shows a lot of potential for the director in the future. The story line is compelling, interesting, and relevant. The acting is good, especially Jennifer Jordan as Lana. She has a beautiful vulnerability under her steely exterior that I was drawn to. The film has a good twist as well and captured the grittiness of living on the streets in a realistic way.

Fans of low budget films will absolutely want to check Nothing Man out, and I will be looking forward to seeing what this director has to show us in the future.