Perspective in Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland: A comprehensive review
Fresh off Nomadland‘s success at the Golden Globes, we have a review going deep into why this journey is worth your time. The film has received high praise and has nabbed director Chloé Zhao a Best Director win at the Golden Globes, making her the first Asian woman to receive the honor.
The film is based on the novel Nomadland by Jessica Bruder. It follows Fern (played by Academy Award Winner Frances McDormand), a modern-day nomad in the American midwest traveling in a van searching for what matters in her life.
Nomadland review
The film pushes the boundaries of what intimate and engaging indie films can be. Many of the characters in the film are non-actors portraying themselves.
The most notable of them is Bob Wells, who acts in the film as a leader full of wisdom to the nomad community and an emotional rock for many taking up this journey.
In reality, Wells acts in much of the same way, running a YouTube channel called CheapRVliving. His videos teach people about the nomad lifestyle with tutorials. Not to mention, there are interviews with nomads showcasing how they live happily on the road.
Chloé Zhao continues to impress
This is Zhao’s third film, coming off the heels of her excellent sophomore film The Rider.
Nomadland precursors Zhao’s major studio debut with Marvel entertainment’s The Eternals, slated to release later this year.
The Eternals will no doubt be a creative and stylistic departure from the films Zhao has released so far.
The Eternals will take her filmmaking out of the midwest of the United States for the first time, opting instead to tell the story of eternal space-gods sprawling throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s storied fictional history.
It will be interesting to see how her directing style adapts to this new terrain. But if the heart of her previous films like Nomadland shines through in this one, audiences are in for a treat.