‘The eternal summer shall never fade... ‘
Before we start with this ‘recommendation’ we feel the need to point out that your enjoyment of this lauded piece of ‘indie’ cinema will depend on just how much you care for ‘indie’ cinema.
For many, Zhao’s ruminative piece will be far too lackadaisical, and will have far fewer greenscreened action sequences with which to eat a bucket of popcorn.
Whatever floats your cinematic boat, you do you.
Your reviewer took his sweet time getting to this feature, just as he has with previous Oscar-winners, he has a distrust of board appointed awards, odd for a person penning a review, yes.
Following the death of her husband and losing her livelihood to the Great Recession, Fern (Frances McDormand), a woman in her 60’s, converts her RV van into her home and opts for a nomadic life.
Wandering through the vast expanses of the US, taking up low-wage seasonal jobs to sustain her minimalistic lifestyle, Fern encounters fellow people for whom the journey isn’t an escape but a way back to hope and healing.
Holding a mirror to a society that rewards youth and relegates the elderly, Nomadland is an artistic exploration of wandering souls desperate to be seen and heard before they depart.
Although Zhao has received the lion’s share of praise, the cinematography from Joshua James Richards is spectacular and thee score by Ludovico Einaudi, reflects the earthy, raw sentiment of the film’s tone and backdrops.
Frances McDormand has rightly hoovered up accolades as Fern, using various props as non-human representations of her troubled psyche: van, road, mountains, rivers, deserts and even the foldable deckchair that give Fern moments of peace and stability.
Nomadland is a timely reminder that even though we may feel alone, there are human connections all around us.
Click on the below poster for Kinepolis screen times.
Nomadland is also available to stream on Disney+
