Nomadland (film): Depressing but definitely worth seeing

I will watch basically any drama that Frances McDormand gets involved in because I think she is one of the few actresses out there that gets involved in projects for their artistic value rather than just chasing money. Sure, she probably makes a ton of money as well but it isn't so obvious that she is just chasing the gravy train like so many other A-list actors and actresses do. She routinely gets involved in touching, lower-budget productions like this one and because of this she, at least in my mind, seems to be interested in the craft rather than just the paycheck.

Nomadland is a film that won't appeal to everyone but instead of just being a story about an unusual type of person that chooses to not live a "typical" American life, it also focuses on some of the rather unfair and perhaps even tyrannical aspects of American society and governance.

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The entire budget of this film was a mere $5 million and when you see the stunning scenery and some of the shots that had to have been extremely difficult to film such as long single-shot scenes that take place inside of an Amazon distribution center, you kind of have to be a bit in awe about how they were able to do it for so little money. I am guessing that McDormand did this film for very little money if they were able to keep it under $5 million for overall costs.

The story primarily focuses on "Fern" (played by Frances) and how following the death of her husband and the downfall of her home city, she decided to live a life on the road existing out of the back of a van rather than a traditional life of owning a home and putting up roots somewhere. There are a lot of people that actually choose to live like this and it might not be the life for all, but it does seem to be a different kind of life filled with adventure and of course, a great deal of unforeseen tragedy as well.

While the movie isn't some sort of antigovernmental rant or anything, it does touch base on some of the aspects of American life that all of us have been impacted by at some point in our lives (if you haven't yet, you likely will) and it that really get you down and upset.

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Fern and people like her, simply want to travel from place to place, sometimes ending up in the same spots she was the prior year, and experience new things and get as much out of life as she can. She also doesn't enjoy the "American way" of getting bogged down in financial obligations that so many people do even if they know that they cant afford it.

The film also touches base on our own mortality and how the clock is ticking for all of us and we need to get busy living, or get busy dying. I guarantee that when this is showcased that it is going to strike a nerve with most people that watch it. How much time are all of us wasting on doing the same thing day in and day out and missing out on the important things in life?

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I believe that this film will mean different things to different people and that is part of what it makes it great. The difficulties of life for all people who are not fortunate to fall into wealth are on full display here and the hardships that anyone who decides to "get out there and see the world" is displayed as well. There is also the sense of good friendships, charity, and good will towards others. They also briefly reference the lunacy that is car repair costs and that made me very happy that I am in a situation where I don't need to own a car.

It's a beautiful film with lots of touching moments and overall it will make you think about your own life and just the lives of others as well in general.

Should I watch it?

Even though I have said only glowing things about this production I will readily admit that this movie is not going to be for everyone. For one thing, it is quite slow paced and there is no clear plot and while that is the point of the thing, this will not appeal to a lot of the people out there that need fast-paced stories with clear objectives.

This film could have easily been twice as long as it is because there is no "A to B to C" progression in the story and I think this was intentional in order to kind of nail the point home about how nomadic life is in real life. The people who live like this don't necessarily know what tomorrow is going to bring and therefore, the film is presented as such as well.

This is a tragic story but also an inspiring one at the same time. It is quite unusual in that regard and I think it should be considered a work of art. It won a ton of awards including "Best Director" at the Oscars and I believe this is deserved. If you have a few hours for something a little bit different, and English is your first language, I think you will end up enjoying this gem of a film.

I can't find this on any streaming service so you are going to have "go sailing" in order to get it most likely.