Our protagonist recites Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 18’ to a young companion she finds on the road. She chats with other ladies she meets on her journey. But deep down, she deals with grief and is haunted by the continuous search of a place we customarily call ‘home’.
This forms the basis for Chloé Zhao’s masterpiece Nomadland, which also won the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in September 2020.
Based on a non-fiction book by Jessica Bruder, the film revolves around a sexagenarian woman, Fern (played by two-time Academy Award winner Frances McDormand), who after the closure of a plant in Nevada loses not only her job but also her husband. With little hope, she hits the road and starts living in a van with nowhere to go. Some days, Fern can be seen working at an Amazon facility and on others flipping burgers at a restaurant. Our protagonist constantly searches for seasonal work while being engulfed by loneliness and melancholy.
Fern makes many acquaintances over the course of her journey, who all share her way of living. Most of the characters that she meets are non-professionals actors and real life modern nomads. Together, they smile, laugh, and advise each other on how to make the most of what is available to them. They share their unfulfilled dreams by campfires.
The life that is encapsulated throughout the film is contrary to the great American dream, but it exists within the gigantic barren landscapes of the American West and the people that constitute this life are as much alive as anyone else and have stories to write and tell as they go on living their journey in the absence of a known destination.
What makes Nomadland such a great film is Zhao’s ability to not forcefully give a particular direction to the film; instead she lets her Fern roll like a dice randomly on a vast board that stretches all the way to the horizon. The movie is not about Fern’s destination; rather it is simply about her and the road which serves as her constant companion. Every glance that Fern gives throughout the film, slowly gives out to us who Fern is. Zhao allows us to be a part of her life and walk the road along with her. This is also a reason why the film doesn’t rely on many dialogues and is supported by long silences, putting us right in the middle of deserted landscapes.
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Cinematographer Joshua James Richards (who worked previously with Zhao in her earlier works like The Rider and Songs My Brothers Taught Me) majestically captures the beautiful scenery of Fern’s natural surroundings through long shots that only add to the film’s visual beauty. The film manages to capture an America that gently reminded me of an America from one of my all-time favourite films, Wim Wender’s Paris, Texas (1984). This America is raw and naked – or in other words, the film perfectly captures an America without its capitalist make-up; an America that is lesser seen and known. But it is real and is a source of stories lived by people like Fern and Travis (played by the legendary Harry Dean Stanton in Paris, Texas).
The background score, which jumps between the scenes by Ludovico Einaudi, only makes the film more poetic and moving. Visually, the film is beyond stunning but that in no way undermines the distraught yet affable character of Fern. When Fern is invited by a friend (David Strathairn) to stay at his place, her alienation to the cold interiors of the house is quite conspicuous. After all, she learns to differentiate between being ‘houseless’ and being ‘homeless’. This leaves us wondering if she has accepted to be at home without actually having owned one.
The best part of the film? Undoubtedly, it is Frances McDormand’s performance as the lead protagonist. Each glance speaks a thousand words and her countenance is simply her mastery of the craft.
The film not only serves as a keyhole for this distinct world to wider audiences but also as an enduring testament to the lives of people like Fern who are out there in the unknown where there are no ‘final goodbyes’.
Shrey Verma is a second year undergraduate student at the University of Delhi.
Featured image: Searchlight Pictures