Film: Nomadland

GENRE: Drama
RATING: R for some nudity
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 47 minutes
PLATFORM: Hulu
STARRING: Frances McDormand (Fargo, Three Billboards . . .)
David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck, The Firm)
DIRECTOR: Chloe Zhao (The Rider, upcoming Eternals)
WRITER: Zhao (Songs My Brothers Taught Me, The Rider)
PLOT: A woman lives a van-dwelling life travelling west.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Only watched this for Oscar reasons.    

STORY STUFF: I was pretty bored. It’s an interesting lifestyle but not one I would even attempt to try. Just felt bad for everyone living out of their vans; they seem fine with it but I didn’t. The story is just a slice of life, not much of a climax or significant character growth. Maybe there was but I didn’t see it.  

ACTING STUFF: McDormand is an amazing actress. Despite the slow moving plot, I found her compelling to watch as she interacts with others, takes odd jobs, and works on her van. I also like the calming presence of Strahairn. Apparently, most of the other actors were just van people playing themselves; they seemed authentic enough. I guess that’s a credit to Zhao for getting good stuff out of them. She’ll probably win the Oscar for directing this.     

ARTISTIC STUFF: There are some beautiful shots of the dusty roads and endless skies. This film did seem more like a documentary though. I guess that adds to the realism of it. The music was pretty good at times too but there was nothing here to write home about.

VERDICT: Two stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You want to watch all the Oscar best picture noms
UPCOMING REVIEW: More Oscar films