Tanya’s Score: Good-and-a-half*
Rated: PG
Starring: the amazing and wonderful Olive Kitteridge
Plot: A year in the life of Fern (Frances McDormand), a self-proclaimed nomad who lives in her van and travels the country seeking work and human connection.
Tanya’s Verdict: This movie feels raw like a documentary – as if nothing has been scripted and everything is unfolding organically. This is how the previous Chloé Zhao movie I had watched also felt. (See my review for The Rider here). And because of this particular filming style, this movie will not sit well with some audiences – they may find it boring, dull – even depressing.
But that’s not my opinion.
Nomadland – with mainly only showing and barely any telling – depicts the life of a modern day nomad: the good (meeting and connecting with fellow nomads), the bad (pooping in a bucket), the beautiful (sitting on a lawn chair with dinner on your lap overlooking a serene American landscape) and the scary (a knock on the van window isn’t always a friend).
Then there are the misconceptions that many people harbour regarding this lifestyle; people who pity Fern; who worry about her. But she says it best: “No, I’m not homeless. I’m just houseless.”
I have no desire to live the way Fern and her fellow nomads do – but after watching this film, I can relate to why they do.
*Four score descriptions: Sh**; Okay; Good; Great