I find it difficult not to look at Chloe Zhao's latest film, "Nomadland," in the context of other American road films and Westerns. There hasn't been a film in a while that has really captured the vastness of the country, the horizons that seem to stretch forever, and the beauty of the natural scenery. It's an easy place to get lost in, or hide in, and has always been perfect for long journeys of self-discovery.
And so it is with Fern (Frances McDormand), who we first see working a temp job at an Amazon facility, and living out of a van. Her husband has recently died, and the manufacturing plant that they worked at in Empire, Nevada has closed, turning the town into an economic wasteland. Fern decides to become a "nomad," travelling around the country in her van, taking on a series of seasonal jobs - maintenance work at campgrounds, harvesting beets, and staffing concessions booths. She becomes part of the nomad community, meeting people like Bob Wells and Charlene Swankie, real members of this far-flung tribe, sharing tips for "stealth parking" and vehicle maintenance. She also becomes close to a man named David, played by David Strathairn, who she crosses paths with multiple times.
"Nomadland" is very episodic and incidental, following Fern from state to state, and from job to job. She faces tough times and many crises, weathering busted tires and empty pockets. It's only near the end of the film, when Fern is given the opportunity to get off the road, that she does some soul searching and brings her journey full circle. There's a quiet, elegiac mood to the film, which is littered with signs of the recent recession, and the grim new status quo of economic instability. Many of the shots reminded me of John Ford, who made so many memorable Westerns, but who also made "Grapes of Wrath" in 1940, another film that examined the lives of wandering itinerants against the magnificent backdrop of the American frontier. One of the final shots of "Nomadland" seems to quote "The Searchers." Or maybe it's Lynne Ramsay's "Ratcatcher." Or both.
Chloe Zhao came to prominence a few years ago with "The Rider," which featured non-professional actors, several of them re-enacting episodes from their own lives. I had trouble connecting to the material and the extremely low budget filmmaking. "Nomadland," however, is a more conventional narrative with olds pros like McDormand and Strathairn providing an easier entryway into the world of the nomads. Their performances are very subtle and subdued, aiming not to stick out from the crowd of real nomads who appear in the picture, most of them playing themselves. The cinematography is also far more picturesque, indulging in the occasional beauty shot of sunsets or mountain ranges, which are put in stark contrast with images of Fern and David working endless menial jobs to stay afloat.
"Nomadland" is based on a Harper's magazine article and subsequent book by Jessica Bruder about the growing population of aging Americans who have taken up this lifestyle, trying to survive on their own terms and maintain some independence. The story has quite a few themes in common with "Leave No Trace," Debra Granik's film about a man who abandons society in favor of the wilderness. In the case of "Nomadland," however, Fern's reasons for going on the road, for hanging on to her "ratty" van, and for coming back to Empire in the end, are more complex and largely left ambiguous.
And I keep wanting to compare the film to "Paris, Texas," to "Easy Rider," and to so many more films about exploring America that were reflections of their time, of their eras of filmmaking. It's hard to look at "Nomadland" and not see such a perfect reflection of America in the era of COVID and growing social inequality, with so many scattered in the wake of disaster, and left to fend for themselves as best they can. This is without a doubt, the film most emblematic of 2020, a film of such bleakness and loneliness, and yet all about soldiering on and finding connections where you can.
It may also be the best film of 2020, which has turned out to be a pretty damn good one for movies.
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