Review 608: Nomadland

Nomadland is far from an comfortable viewing, but a powerhouse turn from Frances McDormand and deeply moving true story make it worth it.

 

Based on the non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder, In 2011, Fern (Frances McDormand) loses her job after the US Gypsum plant in Empire, Nevada shuts down and her husband dies. Fern decides to sell her belongings and purchases a van to live in, travel the states and join a loose community of nomadic senior citizens.

 

The plot is the most remarkable true story  It's a tough life, there are many challenges along the way, not least of them being keeping her van on the road. At its core, Nomadland is a film about someone hesding into uncertain waters and meeting a community of people who are fundementaly decent.

Director Chloe Zhao's direction is sensitive, the cinematography is stunning and captures the beauty and of Arizona and South Dakota  the use of music by Ludovico Einaudi adds to the wilderness and the lonely atmosphere the film is conveying. The scenery is breathtaking, the locations are fabulous

 

Frances McDormand delivers playing Fern. Even though she's not homeless, she is houseless. This is a lifestyle that she chose because of the circumstances thrust upon her because of the economic recession. Her method acting is hypnotic. Her figure is thin

 

David Strathairn doesn't lage far behind playing David, a fellow Nomad whom Fern befriends

One of the smartest descions of the film is the casting of real-life nomads. These are people who are very close to home; People who are not professional actors playing characters who are effectively versions of themselves in a dramatised situation. This perfectly adds to the sense of versimilitude

5/5.

The Anonymous Critic.