Nomadland

A new feature film written and directed by Chloé Zhao.

Nomadland was one of my favorite films of last year’s Zurich Film Festival. Now it is available to stream and shown in cinemas where they can open, and I therefore read and thought about it some more. Nomadland is a beautiful journey of an American woman, which is deeply poetic and at the same time an important portrait of a neglected social class.

Filmmaker Chloé Zhao was originally a documentary film director, and this is still visible in Nomadland. Some of her actors are real people playing themselves, which adds to the realism of this film.

The defining face of the film, however, is Frances McDormand, who once again nails her portrayal of an unusual woman. Roles in great films such as Fargo and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri allowed her to fully show her skills, and this newest role of her adds to the knowledge that she is one of the finest actresses of her generation.

Among many other awards and nominations, both McDormand and Zhao have been nominated for a Golden Globe for their work on this film, and one can only assume that Oscar nominations (and potentially wins) will follow. Nomadland is also nominated for the best picture and screenplay, making it one of the films with the most award buzz this season. (Overall so far, until February 26th: 162 wins and 120 nominations according to IMDB!).

Nomadland was originally a non-fiction book by Jessica Bruder, published in 2017 to some success. The full title of the book is Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, which already indicates that it is about the modern nomads living in contemporary America - not always out of choice and the wish for freedom, but often out of necessity and poverty.

The protagonist of the film is a woman called Fern, who travels the US in her van while working in off jobs. Having lost both her husband and her job, she doesn't see many alternatives, but is partly supported by other modern nomads (real nomads playing themselves) who organise themselves in a community and help her get the skills she needs for life on the road. Fern's journey is not only a physical one through America from job to job, but also an inner one, finding herself and figuring out how to live her life. It is not only visually beautiful but very inspiring and moving, and a true cinematic masterpiece on all levels: writing, directing, acting, cinematography.

Now available to stream and to see in cinemas where possible.

(Images: IMDB)