‘Nomadland’ Review: Francis MacDormand Showboats

Halfway through the play “Nomadland”, Frances MacDormand takes a dump in a bucket. She doesn’t scream, “GIMME OSCAR NOW!” But you can see the words burning in his eyes. The film, directed by Chloe Zhao, is an award-season favorite, and it doesn’t let you forget for a second.

Underneath the veneer of prestige, however, is a presenter and influencing the story of a lost American class: the Van Resident.

They are often older adults, who have migrated since the 2008 recession, becoming migrant workers to make ends meet. They sleep and cook in vehicles and travel the country in search of jobs, forming lasting bonds with each other around the campfire. Jessica Bruder wrote about these unique spirits in her non-book, “Nomadland: Leftovers in America in the Twenty-First Century, ”On which the film is based.

The fictional build here is Fern (MacDormand), a widow and Amazon warehouse worker who works long hours for pennies, and stays out of her car in the parking lot.

“My mother says that you are homeless. Is that true? “A girl asks when she used to do tuition in the supermarket.” No, I’m not homeless – I’m just homeless, “Fern replies.” No, that’s the same thing, isn’t it? ”

A friend tells him about “RTR,” or the rubber Trump rendezvous, a traveling band of compatriots who are living the country self-sufficiently, supporting each other. A person may set up for a few months near the city and do a strange job in a restaurant or campsite, and then move on when the work is dry. Fern decides nothing is being held in Nevada and leaps to become a permanent immigrant.

The newcomer learns from a helpful patron to make his master a home, and often survives in hostile environments. When you fall ill, there is no risk when you are away from someone, with no family or friends, most of us need not think. Just having a spare tire on hand can kill you. Fern also begins a flirtation with Dave (David Stratheeran), whom he frequents from one state to another.

Zhao’s film, which he shot with an eye for operative mountains and horizons, follows Fern, but the real stars are real, notable stroller writer-directors who play versions of themselves as supporting characters.

One woman is Swanky, who confesses to Fern in a weak speech that she is on the road because she was diagnosed with cancer and has to live only eight months. “I’m not going to spend much time in a hospital,” she says. “no, thanks.” It is a tiring moment, and the film’s best.

Everyone has a unique reason for how they live that way. Another woman described the death of her co-worker on the eve of her retirement – the day she was finally going to start living her life – and felt inspired to reinvent and reinvent herself. was.

The tricky thing is that because the ensemble brings such easy naturalness to the screen, it inadvertently screws on the McDormand.

Yes, “Nomadland” fits well as a working class of actresses. No casting director would ever say, “an early ’60s, stylish, Wall Street businessman. I know! Francis MacDormand! “As an attendee, he makes sense as part of the convoy of road warriors. However, his acting, while well suited to either Martin McDonagh or Wes Anderson, is simply too big for this living environment and Is generous. Every purse, giggle and wave of lips tries to be completely documentary-realistic, and comes by force.

It doesn’t matter much, though. Fern and MacDormand is more importantly a window into a painful corner of America that is very easy for everyone to see. Good for Zhao for pointing her camera directly.