By Mason Leaver
There was a movement in Italian cinema beginning in 1945 called “Italian Neorealism”. The movement focused on realistically capturing the small, intimate details of life. Filmmakers in the neorealist movement hired nonprofessional actors, filmed on location, and focused on simplistic, character driven stories about everyday life. This emphasis on “true to life” narratives has continued to this day, being reflected in various cinematic movements, like the French New Wave and Cinema Verite. Nomadland, directed by Chloé Zhao, follows in this long standing tradition of realistic cinema. Nomadland is a film about the small details of life, using a mixture of narrative and documentary style, which creates a unique tone amongst the films of 2020.
Frances McDormand as Fern
Nomadland is the story of Fern (Frances McDormand), a woman who has lost everything in the Great Recession. We watch as Fern begins her life of living in a van, and starts a job at Amazon. She decides she wants to live a nomadic lifestyle, moving out into the desert and joining a nomadic community. As the film progresses, she travels in and out of various nomad communities, taking various jobs and connecting with various unique individuals. Ultimately, Fern is forced to confront her fear of attachment, and is faced with a decision to either settle down or keep moving with her life on the road. The film’s ending leaves us to debate Fern’s ultimate fate and what she will decide. This ambiguous conclusion forces us to reflect on the meaning of the film overall, questioning what we believe Fern ought to do and what we believe she will in fact do.
Frances McDormand has had an incredible career, giving a variety of terrific performances in Fargo, Moonrise Kingdom, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Her performance in Nomadland is extremely impressive, even in a career as densely packed with strong roles as McDormand’s. Her performance as Fern feels improvisational and vulnerable- her lines of dialogue and movements feel genuine and unrehearsed. One begins to wonder how much of Fern is a pre-written character and how much is McDormand expressing herself on screen. McDormand has been nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Oscars this year, and I would not be surprised if she takes it home.
Frances McDormand has had an incredible career, giving a variety of terrific performances in Fargo, Moonrise Kingdom, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Her performance in Nomadland is extremely impressive, even in a career as densely packed with strong roles as McDormand’s. Her performance as Fern feels improvisational and vulnerable- her lines of dialogue and movements feel genuine and unrehearsed. One begins to wonder how much of Fern is a pre-written character and how much is McDormand expressing herself on screen. McDormand has been nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Oscars this year, and I would not be surprised if she takes it home.
Frances McDormand and director Chloé Zhao
Besides the terrific performance given by McDormand, one of the most impressive aspects of the film is the cinematography. Director of Photography Joshua James Richards and Director Chloé Zhao have managed to pull off an incredible feat. Certain sections of Nomadland are not difficult to capture beautifully- shots of various picturesque locations; vast desert landscapes, snow capped mountains, and rushing rivers. Even the smallest, least interesting places are rendered magnificently- they make fast food restaurants and the inside of Fran’s van look beautiful. For a film with such a simple story, the cinematography is still astonishing.
The beautiful cinematography in "Nomadland"
One of the aspects of Nomadland which most makes it stand out from other films released this year is it’s hybridization of fiction and documentary filmmaking approaches. The narrative of the film is fictional, but many of the characters within the film are real people, portraying themselves on screen. For instance, Swankie, one of the nomads Fran meets on her journey, is a real nomad. In fact, almost all of the nomads that are featured in the film are actual nomads, living in the desert. This approach to capturing life as accurately as possible gives the film a feeling of realism and honesty. It very much follows in the wake of the realist movements of the past- focusing on non-professional actors and a simplistic story.
From left to right: Frances McDormand, Chloé Zhao, Charlene Swankie, Linda May
Nomadland is an exploration of the real-life situations of many nomadic Americans. In post-recession America, many people have been forced to live in these situations, working draining and sometimes dangerous jobs for poor pay just to scrape by as they live out of a van. Of course, others have willingly chosen the nomad life, preferring freedom to security. Nomadland seeks to document the lives of these individuals by filming real-life people, and inserting them into a fictional, but true to life story. It is beautifully executed at every level- the acting, cinematography, editing, and dialogue of the film are all exceptional. The pacing of the film may be a bit slow for some viewers, but the film is much more character driven than plot driven. As such, it takes it’s time, focusing on exploring Fran’s psychology and character rather than any elaborate plot. It’s certainly worth a watch.
Viewers who enjoy “Nomadland” may also enjoy “Into the Wild”, “Captain Fantastic”, and “Leave No Trace”
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