By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Chloé Zhao
Starring: David Straithairn | Frances McDormand | Gay DeForest | Linda May | Patricia Grier | Swankie
Country: germany, united_states
Year: 2021
Running time: 108
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9770150
Chris says: “Already a lot of hype for this one and much of it is justified—if anything, it’s an advance on Chloe Zhao’s last film, THE RIDER, and not necessarily because she’s now working with an Oscar-winning actress (though McDormand is the best possible one for this type of project.) NOMADLAND retains the earlier film’s willingness to observe and illuminate rather than judge or persuade. Lyrical but not pretty, sorrowful but not miserable, reflective but not static, it may take place in 2012, but it fully embodies an era of American life that’s still with us and continues to unfold. 5 cats
“TIFF 2020 Reviews”
Michael says: “Chloé Zhao’s follow-up to multi-Chlotrudis nominee THE RIDER is sure getting a lot of well-deserved acclaim. Zhao applies an inventive yet assured directorial hand in this melancholy tale about modern-day nomads, living out of their vehicles, traveling from place all cross, in this case, the American West. The story centers on Fern, played with the usual skill by Frances McDormand, a widow from the town of Empire, Nevada, that was basically eradicated by the shut-down of a factory that scattered its residents apart. Fern is making ends meet by living in her van and working for Amazon during the holiday rush, but when that ends, she finds herself at loose ends. She follows the advice of a woman she befriends in the RV park, who spends time in Arizona, with a nomadic guru. Fern is doubtful, but she travels there and discovers a community of like minds. Linda May (from whom she gets the tip), Swankie, David and the like. The film follows Fern for over a year, as she moves from place to place, making connections, finding herself briefly at her sister’s home, considering setting down roots with a new family, and ultimately making the decision to follow the path that is right for her life.
“Zhao keeps things real in a number of ways. She fills the cast with actual nomads whose stories she tells, she keeps her direction direct and low-key, letting emotional moments burble up quietly with impact, reveling with her cinematographer, Joshua James Richards, in the beauty of our country, from the deserts of Arizona to the rocky terrain of the Dakota’s Badlands. She doesn’t try to make anyone feel a certain way, but allows Fern to make the decisions that are right for her. She adapted Jessica Bruder’s non-fiction book of the same name to tell authentic stories and they resonate strongly in the film. McDormand read the book and optioned it as a film, and her performance anchors it perfectly, and gives it it’s driving force, but it’s the three main supporting characters, Linda May, Swankie, and nomad-guru, Bob, who provide the authenticity as these non-actors play versions of themselves in the film. Truly powerful. 5 cats”