Nomadland

When life deals her an unfair hand, Fern backs her bags, loads her van up, and sets off for a journey of discovery and exploration, encountering many new people along the way.

I've given it a second watch, if I'm honest when I originally saw it at The Cinema, I found it a little boring, the vibe of the people around me generally boredom. The biggest frustration for me, was that it beat Promising young woman to the best picture Oscar, I don't see it at all.

I have to be honest, my opinion hasn't changed a huge deal, it's good, but it's just such a frustrating watch, at times Fern just drives you crazy, she is given opportunities, she just doesn't want to know half the time.

The major plus here, Frances McDormand is outstanding, her acting is phenomenal, she is one exceptional talent. You really do get the sense of how hard life is for someone in her situation.

I'm not sure the combination of actors and real life people always works, sometimes it feels a little awkward.

Chloé Zhao did a good job with the direction of it, much better than she did with Eternals. The cinematography is unbelievable.

6/10.

When people put themselves in vulnerable positions, bad things can happen. This is a human interaction movie which shows us believable people, meeting and gaining sparks from one another. Francis McDormand has become a premier actress. She's not attractive in a movie star sense, but she has one of the most expressive faces I've ever seen in film. Granted, we don't get to see the harsh side of the equation, which would include theft, intimidation, physical harm, and mental illness. Nevertheless, I found myself transfixed. She worked so hard and her spirit was seldom defeated. How can people be giving this a one. It tells me how jaded we have become. I guess there is a faction that feels the need to take down something that is hyped as if they have some power in their shortsightedness. I'm not saying it is a perfect movie but to say it is paint drying? I guess there weren't enough superheroes or aliens in it.

This is cinematic patience, a bare and beautifully drawn out experience that paces and feels exactly like the lives and experiences it portrays. The landscapes are stunning, the camerawork intimate and always thoughtful with its choices. The movie makes subtle, deliberate gestures, and it all culminates into something really special. Movies so plot-thin always must walk the careful border of disinterest - but honestly I could've watched another hour of this stuff and never get bored. It's hypnotizing in its own unique way, and I haven't really seen anything quite like it. (This is the vibe I wish Sean Penn's Into the Wild could've captured).

8.5/10

This movie presents a good philosophy of a 60 year old person. If you are 20 or 40 it might not make sense, but that is what this movie is about. You can see this soon.

My thoughts on this film: I can see how this movie is not for everyone, but I enjoyed it. I think, if you have even a remote interest in a nomad lifestyle, life on the road, extended road trips in campervans, then you would like this movie. It certainly shines a spotlight on a very small and unexplored part of society. There are actually people out there, in this day and age, who live in vans and travel around, working in different places. Who knew? And how exiting! And how lonely and intriguing. Why would someone do this? I get it, I'm adventurous, but how desolate and maybe even a little depressing. That lifestyle is certainly not for the faint of heart. You have to wonder about the mental health of some of these people, but that's in all walks of life, I suppose. And I think, in a way, that a lot of nomads are scarred in some way, and that's why they keep moving, keep trying to find themselves or something.

And then there's the protagonist. Who is she and why doesn't she let people get too close to her? My only really complaint about her character is that they could have given her a little more personality.

Ah, the cinematography. Simply stunning.

The ending was less than satisfying.

Overall, I think it was a lovely movie. I certainly thought about it for a long time afterwards. I don't feel it was best picture award-worthy, but I'm not an Academy member, so I've no say in the matter. A very solid 7 out of 10 IMDB stars from me.