‘See you down the road…’
Some people are not made for this world. They burn too bright or feel too deeply and they are eventually chewed up and spat out. They don’t make it. I have known friends like this and I mourn them dearly. Following the 2008 financial crash and subsequent global recession, many people were cast aside by society. In America, these transient workers became known as nomads. Nomadland attempts to tell their story, but more than that, it speaks for those people who struggle to live within the tight confines of 21st century society. Honest, hard-working folks who just didn’t catch a break somewhere along the line. This is their song, and it is sang beautifully…
Following the death of her husband and the disbandment of the mining town in which they both lived, Fern (Frances McDormand) is forced out onto the road to live a van-dwelling existence as a modern-day nomad.
Nomadland is a quiet, mournful film that puts the viewer right into the heart of the moribund American dream. It is effective rather than spectacular, and a little meandering at times, although it does feature a stunning performance at its heart (more on that later). So, why the critical fawning? Why the six Oscar nominations? Well, this is one of those rare movies where the story behind the project is perhaps more interesting than the film itself. Director Chloe Zhao embedded McDormand in the nomad community and then just let the cameras roll. The majority of the rest of the cast are not professional actors and this results in a series of scenes that go beyond ‘authentic’ and into the realm of actual documentary.
Against the backdrop of Ludovico Einaudi’s ethereal score, we see Fern solemnly move from place to place, working a series of shitty jobs, but still finding the time to live a life that is full, and in its own strange way, free. McDormand really did live in a van during filming, and she really did get to know her fellow nomads both behind and in front of the camera. The result is one of those performances that makes you think that there isn’t another actress in the world that could have played this role. This is about as far from Hollywood glitz and glamour as its possible to get, and so it is ironic that McDormand will probably pick up her third Best Actress gong at this years Oscars (albeit from behind the safety of her computer screen).
Zhao’s film is not the kind of flick that you would ever watch twice, and to be honest, it probably won’t make much of a cultural splash in the long run, but it has introduced the world to a new brand of filmmaking and for that alone nobody can begrudge Zhao her success.
I’ll see you down the road.