Chloé Zhao's "Nomadland" is a movie built on subtlety. It is a sneaky report of institutional injustice towards the lower-to-middle class, labor unions and a person's very soul. The link between its fragility and brutal realism relies in its lead character, Fern, portrayed by the everblooming Frances McDormand whose personality only seems to grow with age.
A woman in her sixties, Fern, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad. They are like modern explorers, except there is nothing left to explore on the outside, this exhibition being more about a person's inside. Fern is a strong woman--the type of characters fitting McDormand perfectly--but she suffered great loss and she feels like she doesn't belong anywhere. It is why she refuses any opportunity to sleep under a roof with friends and family who will gladly have her. She lives in a van.
In that aspect she is joined by actual real-life nomads led by the charismatic Bob Wells. Each of them feel like they are home on screen, this is because Zhao simply filmed them in their environment. Fern's interaction with each one of them feels like a documentary while not getting to factual as to negate emotional wisdom. As we watch we see that each of them were hard-working women and men--there is even a Vietnam war veteran. Therefore you cannot help but ask--how did they come to this? The answer is stuck somewhere around trickle-down economics and political abuse.
Some of the most powerful moments in this movie come from the life experiences of these people especially Bob Wells. His voice is as charismatic as he is, a homemade life philosopher who never passes as a cult leader, but as an actual wise consultant. His optimism is from experience. "One of the things I love most about this life is that there's no final goodbye" he says in a warm tone. It's the hope in the desert and the meaning of the constant scenes of desolate roads which also denote a natural beauty well known but not well experienced.
Not only her power, but Fern also earns respect through her dedication to her husband. After he passed away, she had a chance at love again, but she reluctantly and elegantly refused. Subtle in its power, meaning and message yet not to a subliminal level, "Nomadland" finds director Chloé Zhao at her most focused.
A woman in her sixties, Fern, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad. They are like modern explorers, except there is nothing left to explore on the outside, this exhibition being more about a person's inside. Fern is a strong woman--the type of characters fitting McDormand perfectly--but she suffered great loss and she feels like she doesn't belong anywhere. It is why she refuses any opportunity to sleep under a roof with friends and family who will gladly have her. She lives in a van.
In that aspect she is joined by actual real-life nomads led by the charismatic Bob Wells. Each of them feel like they are home on screen, this is because Zhao simply filmed them in their environment. Fern's interaction with each one of them feels like a documentary while not getting to factual as to negate emotional wisdom. As we watch we see that each of them were hard-working women and men--there is even a Vietnam war veteran. Therefore you cannot help but ask--how did they come to this? The answer is stuck somewhere around trickle-down economics and political abuse.
Some of the most powerful moments in this movie come from the life experiences of these people especially Bob Wells. His voice is as charismatic as he is, a homemade life philosopher who never passes as a cult leader, but as an actual wise consultant. His optimism is from experience. "One of the things I love most about this life is that there's no final goodbye" he says in a warm tone. It's the hope in the desert and the meaning of the constant scenes of desolate roads which also denote a natural beauty well known but not well experienced.
Not only her power, but Fern also earns respect through her dedication to her husband. After he passed away, she had a chance at love again, but she reluctantly and elegantly refused. Subtle in its power, meaning and message yet not to a subliminal level, "Nomadland" finds director Chloé Zhao at her most focused.