Nomadland (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Nomadland' (written & directed by Chloe Zhao, of The Rider) is an intimate drama with themes of loneliness, instability, but also of hope. In 2011, the United States Gypsum Corporation closed its mine in the town of Empire, Nevada. This decision basically closed down the factory town, forcing 100s of families to scatter. One such Empire occupant, Fern (Frances McDormand), now an unemployed, childless widow, decides to renovate a van into an RV & begins a nomadic lifestyle of taking seasonal work across the great American west. During a decent-paying job at an Amazon center, Fern meets veteran nomads like Linda May (playing herself), who have her join Cheap RV Living YouTuber Bob Wells' Rubber Tramp Rendezvous in Arizona.
There, Fern learns helpful tips for living 'on the road'. She learns to swap supplies. And Fern befriends even more folks (most of them are real-life nomads playing themselves) who live this specific lifestyle, including Dave (David Strathairn), a grizzled, kindly man who seems pretty smitten with her. Based on Jessica Bruder's book, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, the film follows Fern as she travels from tumbleweed town to tumbleweed town doing everything from waitressing to camp hosting to working on a farm to get by. Fern gets opportunities to move on up & get away from the nomad lifestyle - particularly at the hand of Dave. But a still-grieving Fern is conflicted about where she wants life to take her.
Frances McDormand gives a quietly powerful performance as a woman discovering the harsh realities, but also the unexpected joys & appeal of 'on the road' living. Because the film features real nomads, 'Nomadland' has an almost documentary-like feel to it, capturing the bittersweet reasons that these folks have given up habitating in a house, staying in one place, retiring on Social Security, & paying crippling mortgages/rents. Joshua James Richards' picturesque cinematography highlights the lush & vast landscapes of each town that Fern passes through. The American Dream may have failed Fern & others in the story, but even though they must take harsh work to get by, experiencing U.S.'s natural beauty just about makes is all worth the struggle.
You know, it's hard to imagine any actress other than McDormand playing Fern -- you just love her, and want to know what she'll do next. I love the scene where she tells someone: "I'm not homeless, I'm just houseless - not the same thing". David Strathairn is excellent as Dave, who just wants to spend time with Fern; even if it means any romantic feelings may not be reciprocated. Other than the gorgeous cinematography I mentioned above, I must also add Zhao's pleasingly languorous editing, the lovely natural sounds of the Midwest, & Ludovico Einaudi's hypnotic music score. Though there's not much of an actual plot here, this travelogue tells its own tale; a story of a community living an unconventional, but fulfilling existence on their own terms.
There, Fern learns helpful tips for living 'on the road'. She learns to swap supplies. And Fern befriends even more folks (most of them are real-life nomads playing themselves) who live this specific lifestyle, including Dave (David Strathairn), a grizzled, kindly man who seems pretty smitten with her. Based on Jessica Bruder's book, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, the film follows Fern as she travels from tumbleweed town to tumbleweed town doing everything from waitressing to camp hosting to working on a farm to get by. Fern gets opportunities to move on up & get away from the nomad lifestyle - particularly at the hand of Dave. But a still-grieving Fern is conflicted about where she wants life to take her.
Frances McDormand gives a quietly powerful performance as a woman discovering the harsh realities, but also the unexpected joys & appeal of 'on the road' living. Because the film features real nomads, 'Nomadland' has an almost documentary-like feel to it, capturing the bittersweet reasons that these folks have given up habitating in a house, staying in one place, retiring on Social Security, & paying crippling mortgages/rents. Joshua James Richards' picturesque cinematography highlights the lush & vast landscapes of each town that Fern passes through. The American Dream may have failed Fern & others in the story, but even though they must take harsh work to get by, experiencing U.S.'s natural beauty just about makes is all worth the struggle.
You know, it's hard to imagine any actress other than McDormand playing Fern -- you just love her, and want to know what she'll do next. I love the scene where she tells someone: "I'm not homeless, I'm just houseless - not the same thing". David Strathairn is excellent as Dave, who just wants to spend time with Fern; even if it means any romantic feelings may not be reciprocated. Other than the gorgeous cinematography I mentioned above, I must also add Zhao's pleasingly languorous editing, the lovely natural sounds of the Midwest, & Ludovico Einaudi's hypnotic music score. Though there's not much of an actual plot here, this travelogue tells its own tale; a story of a community living an unconventional, but fulfilling existence on their own terms.