Nomadland by Director Chloé Zhao

Reviewed by Bre'Anna

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Fern was well into her sixties when she lost everything during the Great Recession — her home in Empire, Nevada was hit especially hard by the Great Recession, forcing her to seek employment elsewhere. She is then left on her own to figure out what to do next with her life and decides to embark on a journey through the American West while living in a van. She meets many interesting van-dwelling people who call themselves nomads. Throughout Fern’s adventure, she learns how to adapt to a nomad life and learns how to accept the past.

This movie feels very authentic. With the exception of experienced actors Frances McDormand and David Strathairn, most of the cast members depicting nomads in the film are true nomads. My favorite way that this film communicated emotion was its phenomenally moving soundtrack. After watching Nomadland, I have fallen in love with the song Oltremare by Ludovico Einaudi.

Nomadland represented such an array of the emotions that people go through, even if they are not nomads. I feel the artful depiction of emotion is what makes the film unique and great: the friendship, the loss, the adventure, the grief, and the sorrow, all of it! If you have truly lived your life, then this movie will resonate with you.

Rating: 4/5 stars

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