Grade: A
I was about 45 minutes into Nomadland when I realized how still I was. Writer/director Chloe Zhao, working from a book by Jessica Bruder, has made a gorgeous and glorious film that inspired as much stillness from me as I can remember. Nomadland seamlessly fuses elements from two of my favorite films of the last 10 years. It has the raw reality-based documentary feel of The Florida Project mixed with the quiet down-home simplicity of Nebraska.
Our heroine is Fern – recently laid off and widowed. Apart from a seasonal holiday gig in an Amazon warehouse, she is out of work and has been unsuccessful at finding any, so she decides to live in her van and travel around. What follows has a hypnotic, episodic feel, as she makes friends with fellow nomads, hears their stories, goes to RV shows with them, sings songs with them, and occasionally has diarrhea in her bucket. She is played to perfection by Best Actress Oscar nominee Frances McDormand, in another crowning achievement of her career. She isn’t as flashy as other people in the movie. She mostly is there to listen while others deliver the kind of meaty, compelling monologues that actors dream of. Several “actors” in this, I hear, are real-life nomads, and their “monologues” are their stories. McDormand is there every step of the way – the ever-reliable anchor.
The only other actor in the movie I recognized was David Strathairn, a seasoned pro whose resume includes Lincoln, L.A. Confidential, Eight Men Out, and his Oscar-nominated performance in Good Night and Good Luck. Or, I should say, he’s the only other name I recognized. I didn’t put two and two together that it was him until I saw the credits. He blended right in with all the other “real-life” people, and his performance was effective.
Nomadland is a movie about nothing and everything. I’ve only ever said that one other time. I don’t think you’ll see better locations and scenery in a film this year – these are some picturesque sites here. My favorite moments were when it didn’t try to be anything, just wandered and meandered. In its final act, it does slightly begin to resemble a typical movie with a plot and action and stuff. How boring and disappointing. But after all that came before, what kind of ending would have felt right, really? Destinations are overrated. Nomadland is about the journey, and it’s a marvelous one. Enjoy it, and enjoy the stillness.
Grade: A
Film Reviews by Mark 
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