Nomadland stars Frances McDormand as Fern, a woman who has lost her husband and her town, and wanders the western US in the van she has modified to be a basic RV. Empire Nevada was a company town for US Gypsum, and when the mine closed in 2011, the company shut down the town. Fern's husband died soon after, and she headed out in her van.
The film follows her through a variety of jobs, none of them glamorous or exciting, and a series of campsites. It is more of a mood than a story; not a lot happens, but we get to know Fern along the way. She is content but not happy, alone but still fairly social, especially given her lifestyle. She is self-sufficient and has most of the skills she needs to survive, but still vulnerable.
Susan and I both found this to be a bit of a sad film (maybe bittersweet is a better word?), but we enjoyed it. It's not how we would want to live, but we accepted that it was the life Fern wanted, even with its disadvantages.
No comments:
Post a Comment