There was something poetic about going to Nomadland on that Wednesday evening, in that it was my first cinema outing with my aunt for a very long time. You see, way back when, we used to regularly venture to the picture show together, in full agreement about the cinematic code of conduct (although she likes a burger in her new fancy cinema, a choice with which I am not yet comfortable, but love her unconditionally anyway). We have seen good films together (David Copperfield for example), we’ve seen bad films together (We both found Knives Out to not be our cup of tea). However, the greatest film we have seen together, in my opinion, was the one we saw in our last trip of 2020: Parasite. The fact that our last visit was a recently announced best picture, means it is somewhat poetic that our first trip in over a year would be the next best picture winner, Nomadland. Yet, this form of poetry pales in comparison to the graceful poetry of Chloe Zhao’s film.

In Nomadland, Fern’s hometown has basically become abandoned. Grieving over the loss of her husband, she has gotten rid of most of her things and now lives in the back of a van, as a nomad. We watch her over the course of time, interacting with old friends and family all of whom are concerned about her, and understandably so in the cold winter months. On the other side, we see her with a tight knit community of nomads, including Swankie and David, the latter of whom starts to have feelings for her.

While the above description seems somewhat vague, it’s not even me hiding much information. This film is a quiet character study, working on subtleties and character in an almost documentary like way. We don’t explore great themes of the world, but themes within Fern and the nomad life. There is both a feeling of community and of isolation. She has lots of temp jobs, such as Amazon. Dull if you let them be, but Fern’s attitude makes them fun. Amazon aren’t good or bad, neither is her lifestyle, neither is anyone. This is a film which is refreshing in that it doesn’t tell you what to think. You go in with your emotions, you take away what you’ve put in.

The main reason this film works in such a quiet way and that you buy into Fern is Frances McDormand. The woman can do no wrong. This film is on the other end of the spectrum from Three Billboards and yet she holds it with such care. Her Oscar win for this film was fully deserved.

If you are going to watch this, watch it on a big screen. It’s big, vibrant and beautiful. The far out shots of deserts and mountains are like art and are worthy of the trip to your local movie place. The old classical music sounds great on the speakers as well, apart from one oddly jarring moment where some sound clash took me out of it. Otherwise, Chloe Zhao had me for the ride.

Should you watch the film? Well, the other main reason to watch it at the cinema is no distractions. This film won’t be to everyone’s taste. It took me half an hour to really buy into. Don’t get me wrong, once I was in, I was hooked. However, if you don’t do slow or quiet films, this isn’t the film for you. That’s fine. This is the sort of film I almost don’t want to win best picture. If it’s inaccessible to a mainstream audience, if they go and see it, it gives all the other more accessible fantastic films a bad name. That’s no criticism of Chloe Zhao. Her style has always been slow and poetic and she does it really well. Like I say, it’s not a popcorn movie and if you go in expecting something loud and dramatic you’ll be let down. However, if you’re looking for something slow and sensual, there are few films better at providing that.

Summary

Nomadland is truly a thing of beauty. It looks and sounds wonderful and is carried incredibly by Frances McDormand. It’s not the most accessible film out there, but if you go along prepared for something calm and beautiful, you’ll get plenty out of it. [Grade: A-]