nothing special

DIRECTORS STATEMENT

A few years ago, my Dad bought a boring house on a boring plot of land in a boring town in the middle of nowhere. The house was in absolute disarray. It was built in the 1910's, had one owner that lived there until she passed away, and then it remained in that family, forgotten, until recently. We were all a bit perplexed when he bought it, despite the fact he got it for "an absolute steal". Although he hasn't been one for about 20 years, he's a carpenter by trade, and told us that he wanted to spend his free time "doing it up". The house was in a small town called Pingelly, which is roughly a 2 hour drive in-land from Perth. It's a quaint little farming town, where everyone knows everyone and there is a sense of community that you just don't get in the city. The town felt like a snapshot, frozen in time - other than the odd ATM and a very modern-looking grocery store, everything still looked as if it had been plucked straight from the early 20th-century that it had been founded in. Over the years, we would see updates and improvements to the house and learn little bits about the town and its people through Dad's stories upon returning from a couple days' work in Pingelly, occasionally visiting it ourselves (the lack of a decent Wi-Fi/phone signal a boon to my siblings).

The choice to write Nothing Special as a Super-Hero film was made in order to really drive home the message. The stark contrast of this small, sleepy town, with the wonder and spectacle of Super-Hero movies provided such an interesting dynamic to play with. The contrast allows the direction and performance to not take itself too seriously, whilst still enabling the heart of the film to shine through and connect with people in a way that I don’t think would have been the same without it.

This film has a story that everyone can relate to – a parent and kid who don’t see eye-to-eye, but only because they are both doing what they think is best. Whilst Jack and Jim aren’t a mirror image of me and my old man, we’ve had similar struggles of disconnect between what I wanted for myself vs. what he wanted for me. Nothing Special stands to honour Pingelly, the little house that has been rebuilt by my Dad, and the relationship I have formed with him through it.

This film is for Dad – my favourite Super-Hero.