Nomadland (2021)

[Bastet]

On 4/28/2021 at 10:37 PM, methodwriter85 said:

She joins Meryl Streep and Katherine Hepburn. Good for her.

 

15 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

And she joins Katherine Hepburn and Daniel Day-Lewis as the only people to have three wins in the lead category. (Katherine has 4, of course)

Katharine, not Katherine.

[SunnyBeBe]

I love this type of movie.  If anyone knows any other movie that is similar, would you please post it or PM me. Tks. 

[methodwriter85]

11 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I love this type of movie.  If anyone knows any other movie that is similar, would you please post it or PM me. Tks. 

You might like the movie Leave No Trace, although it's a much sadder movie. I did enjoy it a lot. It's about a father and daughter who live off the grid in national park forests, with him having clear mental issues due to PTSD. 

 

Edited May 12, 2021 by methodwriter85

[SunnyBeBe]

Awesome. Tks.

[Browncoat]

I finally got to see this last night, and I liked it a lot.  I don't see Fern as having mental health issues at all.  I see her as independent and wanting to be as self-sufficient as possible.  Living with her sister or with the quasi-boyfriend would seem like taking charity, or sponging off others.  Especially living with quasi-boyfriend -- she is basically a stranger to him and his family.  I would be reluctant to move in with a whole family that I'd only just met.

I believe her house in Empire was a company house.  When her husband died (or the gypsum mine shut down -- not sure which came first), she would no longer be allowed to stay there.  Much like the coal camps back in the day (see Coal Miner's Daughter), though the coal miners were also paid in scrip and not real money.

I love that the cast was not all actors.  That gave a real authenticity to the film.  And of course, the scenery was beautiful.  But I can't imagine living that lifestyle -- I love my indoor plumbing and electricity too much! 

Was it completely scripted?  Or were there some conversations that came about more organically?

[AngieBee1]

On 5/15/2021 at 3:42 PM, Browncoat said:

Was it completely scripted?  Or were there some conversations that came about more organically?

The latter.  Nomad Bob said in an interview that he was given a script to memorize but he couldn't because his memory is so poor but he told the director about losing his son and she asked if he would share it so that entire scene where he talks to the crowd was off-the cuff. 

 

On 5/15/2021 at 3:42 PM, Browncoat said:

 I don't see Fern as having mental health issues at all.  

Me neither. I know a few people who live off the grid and a few more who would do it if they didn't have to give up their creature comforts.  The"domesticated" life isn't for everyone. Or it is until it isn't like with David Straitharn's character.  

I loved the film and felt it very evocative. Will it be remembered in any real way 20 years from now? No, but so many modern Oscar winning film aren't.  It's a very in the moment and of the moment film.

[methodwriter85]

On 5/16/2021 at 9:15 PM, AngieBee1 said:

Me neither. I know a few people who live off the grid and a few more who would do it if they didn't have to give up their creature comforts.  The"domesticated" life isn't for everyone. Or it is until it isn't like with David Straitharn's character.  

I currently follow this 30-something couple named Kara and Nate who traveled the world until Covid hit, and now they travel the country in a van. They managed to monetize this vagabond lifestyle and kudos to them. They actually did an episode on the drug store we see in this movie, if you'd like a little background info about the place. Unsurprisingly, they're getting a tourism boost because of Normadland. 

On 5/16/2021 at 9:15 PM, AngieBee1 said:

I loved the film and felt it very evocative. Will it be remembered in any real way 20 years from now? No, but so many modern Oscar winning film aren't.  It's a very in the moment and of the moment film.

I saw this film as an ode to the working class Baby Boomers who grew up believing that they'd be taken care of by companies they were loyal to and were caught flat-footed when they folded. In Fern's case, I think losing everything made her realize she actually wanted very little, and that it gave her a freedom that she really liked having.

 

[Hanahope]

I just read the book the movie is  based on and its really good.  The 2008 market/housing crash was a huge cause of most of these people turning to 'van life.'  the book describes the harshness of the life in more detail, with a lot fewer "high points" that the movie suggests (like having time/ability to view national parks and such).

Women, of course, were especially hard hit, because generally their wages had been less, so their social security checks are less, and they tend to live longer. 

Naturally, all of this was before covid-19, so you have wonder how significantly these people were affected by the pandemic.  there is a brief mention about how Real ID requirements were going to cause them problems.