Nomadland

Not the first time I can't appreciate an Oscar winning film. Personally, I have a soft spot in my heart for nomads, but that's not the point. Because Nomadland comes across as a documentary at times, it forced me to form an opinion about things that have nothing to do with the film. Cinematically, it's perfect by all accounts. Breathtaking shots of nature, sensitively portrayed loneliness and longing at the same time, very nice music, sound, editing. Beautiful, but unfortunately I can’t help at least partly judging how I like the specific way these people live, what they do and say, and so on. And that inevitably plays into my overall impression of the film. But the determination to go against the grain is beautiful and in its own way uplifting. So is the appreciation of nature and putting people above real estate. (06/25/2021)

"What's remembered, lives." Nomadland, which combines elements of drama, road movie and a pseudo-documentary in a natural and non-violent way, tells the story of people whose lives seem adventurous and unbound at first glance, but on second look you feels their loneliness, rootlessness and sadness. It is a film about people who have chosen, or rather been forced to choose, a life on the move and with almost no solid ground under their feet. But even so, friendships or even deeper relationships can form between these "modern nomads". I was intrigued that alongside the professional actors, the film also features "naturals" who, together with the sometimes almost raw cinematography and locations, added to the film’s believability – thumbs up for the storylines with Swankie and Bob. As a result, the film hovers between three and four stars for me, but in this case I'll add extra one. PS: "See you down the road." (03/01/2021)

These are the people I want to watch, these are the stories I'm interested in, this is the face of the USA I want to explore. A semi-documentary ode to one of the last avatars of the original American idea, where we meet (with two exceptions) a whole range of real old-school nomads (as that term has been discredited by the bourgeois trend of "digital nomads") whose integrity makes it virtually impossible for them to act badly because they're just being themselves and the film doesn't put them in situations they don't know. In general, there's a great sense of humility from Chloé Zhao in this film, because just from how natural everyone involved seems you can tell that she must have been moving among them for some time, very subtly, until they got used to her presence and the camera. Otherwise there’s almost no point in talking about McDormand, the actress is absolutely incredible and along with the likes of Helen Mirren or Jennifer Jason Leigh demonstrates the power of ageing proudly. (02/28/2021)

Oscars, kiss my ass. I honestly don't understand how anyone at the Academy can be surprised that their viewing numbers keep dropping year after year when Best Picture is won by a film that no one in the general public has seen, and which normally would have been snubbed at all the film festivals. Granted, it's an interesting story with interesting people and Frances McDormand, who is perfect for such a role, but it's really sloppily shot. Trying to evoke a sense of being one with nature, a meditative atmosphere, or whatever, by slapping in some (otherwise beautiful) piano music by Einaudi, and stretching out the running time with five-second shots of cactuses, surrounding landscape, sunsets, et cetera? Meh... (01/01/2022)

Nomandland has come out of the festival circuit with the reputation of one of the best films of the year and a clear Oscar favourite, something that may generate expectations impossible to meet for some people. For me, it’s a very decent drama with a superb Frances McDormand, but I can’t say it stands out in any significant way from many other decent dramas. On the other hand, it’s clear that, in terms of social relevance, it will surely resonate more in the US than here. 7/10 (01/19/2021)