Nomadland (film)

Nomadland is a 2020 American contemporary Western drama film directed, written, edited, and produced by Chloé Zhao.[3] It is based on the 2017 non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder, and stars Frances McDormand (who also produced the film) as a woman who leaves her small town to travel around the American West. It also features David Strathairn, as well as real-life nomads Linda May, Swankie, Bob Wells, and Peter Spears (who also produced the film) as fictionalized versions of themselves.

Nomadland
Theatrical release poster
Directed byChloé Zhao
Produced by
Screenplay byChloé Zhao
Based onNomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century
by Jessica Bruder
Starring
Music byLudovico Einaudi
CinematographyJoshua James Richards
Edited byChloé Zhao
Production
companies
  • Highwayman Films
  • Hear/Say Productions
  • Cor Cordium Productions
Distributed bySearchlight Pictures
Release date
  • September 11, 2020 (2020-09-11) (Venice)
  • January 29, 2021 (2021-01-29) (United States)
Running time
108 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$4–6 million[2]

Nomadland premiered on September 11, 2020, at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Golden Lion. It also won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, making it the first film ever to win the top prize at both Venice and Toronto. It had a one-week-only streaming release on December 4, 2020, and was released by Searchlight Pictures in select IMAX theaters in the United States on January 29, 2021, and is scheduled to release simultaneously in theaters and digitally on Hulu on February 19, 2021. The film garnered acclaim, with numerous critics and publications calling it among the best films of 2020. It was named one of the ten best films of 2020 by the National Board of Review, and received four Golden Globe nominations, including Best Motion Picture – Drama at the 78th Golden Globe Awards.

Plot

In 2011, Fern loses her job after the US Gypsum plant in Empire, Nevada shuts down; she worked there for years along with her husband who recently died. Fern decides to sell most of her belongings and purchase a van to live in and travel the country searching for work. She takes a seasonal job at an Amazon fulfillment center through the winter.

A friend and co-worker named Linda invites Fern to visit a desert winter gathering in Arizona organized by Bob Wells, which provides a support system and community for fellow nomads. Fern initially declines the offer, but changes her mind as the weather turns south and she struggles to find work in the area. At the gathering, Fern meets fellow nomads and learns basic survival and self-sufficiency skills for the road.

Some time later, Fern's van blows a tire; she visits the van of a nearby nomad named Swankie to ask for a ride into town to buy a spare. Swankie chastises Fern for not being prepared, and invites her to learn more road survival skills, during which time they become good friends. Swankie tells Fern about her cancer diagnosis and shortened life expectancy, and her plan to make good memories on the road rather than waste away in a hospital. They eventually part ways.

Fern later takes a job as a camp host at an RV park. There she runs into David, another nomad she met and danced with back at the desert community. She cares for David when he falls ill, accompanying him to the hospital for an emergency surgery. The two of them later take hourly jobs at a local restaurant. One night David's adult son visits the restaurant looking for him, informing David that his wife is pregnant and asking him to come meet his grandchild. David is hesitant, but Fern encourages him to go. David asks her to come with him, but she declines.

Fern takes a new job at the beet harvest, but her van breaks down and she can't afford the repairs. After calling friends to ask to borrow money, she visits her sister and her husband at their home. Her sister loans her the money, but questions why Fern was never around in their life and why Fern stayed in Empire after her husband passed away. Fern later goes to visit David and his son's family; she learns that David has decided to stay with them long-term. He offers her a room to stay in permanently, but she decides to leave after only a few days.

Fern returns to her seasonal Amazon job, and later revisits the Arizona commune. There she learns that Swankie has died, and she and the other nomads pay tribute to her life. Fern later opens up with Bob about her relationship with her husband, and Bob shares the story of his adult son's recent suicide. Bob expresses love for the fact that goodbyes are not final in the nomad community, as they always promise to see each other again down the road.

Some time later, Fern returns to the abandoned town of Empire to visit the factory and the home she shared with her husband before hitting the road again.

Cast

Production

Frances McDormand and producer Peter Spears optioned the film rights to the book in 2017. After seeing Chloé Zhao's film The Rider at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, McDormand decided to approach Zhao about the project. She and Spears met with Zhao at the 33rd Independent Spirit Awards in March 2018, and Zhao agreed to write and direct the film.[4]

Filming for Nomadland took place over four months in fall 2018, with writer-director Zhao splitting time between set and pre-production for Eternals (2021). McDormand, Zhao, and other crew members lived out of vans over the course of production.[5] David Strathairn, and real-life nomads Linda May, Charlene Swankie, and Bob Wells, also star. McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, and Zhao produced the film.[6]

Release

Searchlight Pictures acquired the world wide distribution rights for Nomadland in February 2019.[7] The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 11, 2020, and screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on the same day.[8] At Venice, the film won several awards, including the festival's top honor, the Golden Lion.[9][10] At Toronto, the film won the People's Choice Award.[11] It was the first film ever to win the top prize at both Venice and Toronto.[12]

The film has also been screened at several international film festivals, including: Chicago,[13] Coronado,[14] Ghent,[15] Hamburg,[16] Hamptons,[17] Helsinki,[18] London,[19] Lumière (in Lyon),[20] Middleburg,[21] Mill Valley,[22] Montclair,[23] New York,[24] Reykjavik,[25] San Diego,[26] San Sebastian,[27] Telluride,[28] Zurich,[29] Taipei[30] and Saint Petersburg.[31]

In association with Searchlight, Film at Lincoln Center held exclusive virtual screenings of the film for one week only beginning on December 4, 2020, the film's initial release date before Searchlight delayed it to February 19, 2021, due to concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic.[32][33] It was released in IMAX theaters on January 29, 2021, with a plan for theatrical and drive-in release in the United States on February 19, and on Hulu the same day.[34] A two-week preview season in certain regions of Australia and New Zealand began on December 26, 2020, before a wider release planned for March 4, 2021.[35]

Home media

Nomadland will be released on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital later in 2021 by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 230 reviews, and an average rating of 8.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "A poetic character study on the forgotten and downtrodden, Nomadland beautifully captures the restlessness left in the wake of the Great Recession."[36] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 95 out of 100 based on 34 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[37]

Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney called the film a "powerful character study" and said: "Like Zhao's earlier work, Nomadland is an unassuming film, its aptly meandering, unhurried non-narrative layering impressions rather than building a story with the standard markers. But the cumulative effect of its many quiet, seemingly inconsequential encounters and moments of solitary contemplation is a unique portrait of outsider existence."[38] Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film an "A–" and said that "director Chloé Zhao works magic with McDormand's face and the real world around it, delivering a profound rumination on the impulse to leave society in the dust."[39] IndieWire's poll of 231 critics included Nomadland in its Best Movies of 2020.[40]

The film appeared on numerous critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2020.[41]

Accolades
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Film Fest Gent October 24, 2020 Grand Special Prize Chloé Zhao Nominated
San Sebastián International Film Festival September 26, 2020 City of Donostia Audience Award Nominated
Toronto International Film Festival September 20, 2020 People's Choice Award Won [42]
Venice Film Festival September 12, 2020 Golden Lion Won [43][44]
Fair Play Cinema Award Won
SIGNIS Award - Honorable Mention Won
Coronado Island Film Festival November 14, 2020 Leonard Maltin Tribute Award Won [45]
San Diego International Film Festival October 21, 2020 Audience Choice Gala Won [46]
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards December 13, 2020 Best Film Won [47]
Best Director Chloé Zhao Won
Best Cinematography Joshua James Richards Won
Best Editing Chloé Zhao Runner-up
Los Angeles Film Critics Association December 20, 2020 Best Director Chloé Zhao Won
Best Cinematography Joshua James Richards Runner-up
Chicago Film Critics Association December 21, 2020 Best Picture Won [48]
Best Director Chloé Zhao Won
Best Actress Frances McDormand Won
Best Supporting Actor David Strathairn Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao Won
Best Cinematography Joshua James Richards Won
Best Editing Chloé Zhao Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards December 21, 2020 Best Film Runner-up [49]
Best Director Chloé Zhao Won
Best Actress Frances McDormand Won
Best Supporting Actress Charlene Swankie Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao Runner-up
Best Cinematography Joshua James Richards Nominated
Greater Western New York Film Critics Association Awards December 31, 2020 Best Picture Won [50]
Best Director Chloé Zhao Won
Best Adapted Screenplay Won
Best Lead Actress Frances McDormand Won
Best Cinematography Joshua James Richards Won
Best Editing Chloé Zhao Won
National Board of Review January 26, 2021 Top 10 Films Won [51]
New York Film Critics Circle Awards December 18, 2020 Best Director Won
North Carolina Film Critics Association Awards January 4, 2021 Best Narrative Film Nominated [52]
Best Director Chloé Zhao Won
Best Actress Frances McDormand Won
Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao Won
Best Cinematography Joshua James Richards Won
Gotham Independent Film Awards January 11, 2021 Best Feature Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, Chloé Zhao Won [53]
Best Actress Frances McDormand Nominated
American Film Institute Awards February 26, 2021 Top 10 Movies of the Year Won [54]
Golden Globe Awards February 28, 2021 Best Motion Picture – Drama Pending [55]
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Frances McDormand Pending
Best Screenplay Chloé Zhao Pending
Best Director Pending
Screen Actors Guild Awards April 4, 2021 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Frances McDormand Pending [56]

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