Movie Review: Nomadland

This article was originally published in the Kelowna Daily Courier. The original version can be viewed here

Road movie doesn’t make it clear where it’s going, and that’s its greatest strength.

Like the subculture for which it’s named, Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland wanders between scenes in a way that’s never quite purposeful, but never pointless.

The movie eschews traditional narrative structure, opting instead for a character-study format, though less about its main character than about an entire culture of van dwellers.

Nomadland stars Frances McDormand as Fern, a woman traveling around the US in an RV after losing her husband and her job following the 2008 recession.

In 2011, Fern lives a nomadic lifestyle, picking up part-time jobs at Amazon shipping centres, national parks, and mall food courts. At her jobs, she meets other nomads, including Swankie, Linda, and Bob Wells (all played by real-life nomads of the same names). She also meets David (played by David Strathairn), a friendly older man who is faced with the decision of giving up living on the road when he learns about the birth of his grandson.

In lieu of a traditional plot, events simply play out in Nomadland. Fran goes from place to place without a goal in mind, as do most of the other characters. And sometimes, she’ll stay in one place instead and meet new characters.

Zhao excels at this style of slice-of-life storytelling.

While most scenes tell the audience something new about Fran, the real highlight of the movie is the supporting cast. The nomads in the film are deeply developed characters, who always have the perfect story to tell for whichever scene they’re in. Swankie is about to head back to Alaska because she has fond memories of a kayaking trip she took up there once. Bob Wells is essentially the godfather of American nomads, so suffice it to say he’s met plenty of interesting people and heard his fair share of stories.

Though Nomadland is a work of fiction, Zhao presents a real subculture and lets its members tell their stories in a way that leaves the audience wondering how scripted the movie actually is.

When Wells reflects on a death in the nomad community, his emotional monologue is uniquely personal. Wells recalls the death of his son, and states that life on the road has no “final goodbyes”.

As Wells states the meaning behind the statement “see you down the road,” the audience can’t help but think: if Bob Wells the character is fully invented, then Bob Wells the person is a fantastic actor.

Nomadland isn’t a movie for everyone: it’s light on narrative and uses an unconventional structure, and McDormand’s character isn’t particularly likable. However, the way it merges fact with fiction, documentary with traditional filmmaking, makes for one of the most unique movie-watching experiences of the last several years.

8/10