Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland portrays a different face of America that is largely unknown but very much exists for ages. These nomads are purely American and carry a different tradition and culture. They embrace the bliss of nature and travel across the United States of America. This fate is not forced on them. In spite of having tough times multiple times in a year, their indomitable spirit to live in the lap of nature with freedom emerges as triumphant. The nomads remain as the children of the earth till the end.
Fern (Frances McDormand) loses her husband Bo, and shortly the US Gypsum Company closes its operations on 31st January 2011 in Empire, Nevada. Fern and her husband Bo had worked there for years. She loses her job as a human resource manager and finds no point in living there anymore without her loving husband and job. She sells most of her stuff and buys a van. The Van now becomes the main pillar of her nomadic life. The remaining belongings are kept in a storeroom. She embraces the coat of her deceased husband and leaves Empire forever. A new journey begins.
Fern takes a job at an Amazon fulfillment center where she befriends another nomad Linda May. They bond really well and become very close friends. Linda invites Fern to attend the Desert Rendezvous in Arizona organized by renowned nomad Bob Wells. Initially, she declines the invite. However, when she struggles to find a job in heavy winter, she changes her mind and attends the rendezvous. Linda gets extremely delighted to see her. Fern meets and befriends fellow nomads there including Dave (David Strathairn), another nomad like her. There, she listens to the lecture delivered by Bob himself and learns basic survival skills very much necessary for the nomadic life. When she has a flat tire, Fern goes to seek help from Swankie, who has put up a ‘Do Not Disturb’ flag on her van. Initially, Swankie gets irritated by the disturbance. However, she takes Fern to the nearby town for the repair and teaches her a few mechanical skills useful for the nomadic life. Eventually, they become good friends. During their conversation, Swankie reveals that she has lungs cancer and only a very few months to live. However, she is not interested to spend her final months in the hospital but on the road to cherish the good memories. Eventually, they part ways.
Next, Fern takes up a job as a camp host in the Badlands National Park, and there, she meets Dave again. Their friendship starts growing and they find comfort in each other’s company. Suddenly, Dave suffers from Diverticulitis, and he is admitted to a nearby hospital where he undergoes immediate surgery. Fern visits Dave in the hospital. Later, they take restaurant jobs in Wall Drug in South Dakota. One night, Dave’s son visits the restaurant and informs him that his wife is pregnant. He requests Dave to see his grandchild and stay with the family. Initially, Dave is hesitant but Fern encourages him to go home and see the grandchild. Dave requests Fern to accompany him, but she declines. They again part ways.
Fern takes a new job in a sugar beet processing plant. Her van breaks down but she is unable to bear the expenditure. She is compelled to visit her sister in California to arrange the money. Her sister is happy to see her but complains that she was never with the family when they needed her and she should have left Empire after her husband’s demise. Fern leaves her sister’s house and visits Dave later. His family heartily welcomes her. She comes to know that Dave will stay there for longer and he possesses a special feeling for her. He invites her to stay with his family, which she declines and heads to the ocean. Later, Fern rejoins the job at the Amazon fulfillment center and visits the Desert Rendezvous in Arizona. She comes to know that Swankie has passed away. The campers toss stones into the campfire in loving memory of Swankie. Fern meets Bob and he says that there is no final goodbye. We all will surely meet down the road. He will meet his son, who committed suicide five years back, and she will meet her husband down the road someday. Later, Fern visits the office and her home in Empire and gets emotional. She sells off the remaining belongings kept in the storeroom and hits the road again. The nomadic journey continues.
Nomadland not only portrays the nomadic life in the USA but also connects with nomads across the world. Nomads are scattered all over the world. Their nationalities can be different but all of them have a fundamental similarity. They embrace the earth and nature as their mother. The absolute freedom in the lap of nature drives their philosophy. Keeping aside comforts, they move across villages, towns, states, and sometimes countries as well. This nomadic life is not forced on them. They wholeheartedly accept and embrace this limitless and boundless form of life.
When Fern loses her husband and job, she is no longer interested in life within four walls. She embraces a new phase of life that is limitless, boundless, and most certainly not restricted to four walls. Knowing fully the challenges of the nomadic life, she is not afraid. When there is nothing to lose, there is no fear of losing. She travels across America by her van and the viewers get to know the American nomadic life. Fern befriends new people and loses them as well only to meet again down the road. As renowned nomad Bob Wells says there is no final goodbye. Each of them has his or her own stories of happiness and bereavement. Life just does not stop at any corner. The purpose of life could be hitting the road, meeting new people, and making this earth of their own. The remaining months of her life Swankie wanted to spend on the road to make good memories, and not in a hospital. Even when Dave offers her shelter, Fern declines the offer and heads to the ocean that itself is limitless and boundless like her. Irrespective of the hardships down the road, the nomadic lives go on forever.
There are multiple brilliant aspects of Nomadland. Chole Zhao’s screenplay, which is adapted from the non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century written by Jessica Bruder, is realistic and filled with basic human emotions. She also directed and edited the film. As the director, she has woven a very strong and deep film that has a great character study. Her editing is brilliant too. Joshua James Richards’ camera captured the magnificent views of the American landscape. Frances McDormand as Fern is outstanding. The real-life nomads including Bob Wells, Swankie, and Linda May have been featured in the film. They have played their parts well. Ludovico Einaudi’s music is sometimes soothing and sometimes haunting. Nomadland was nominated for six Academy Awards at the 93rd Academy Awards, and it won the Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress Oscars. It also won the Best Motion Picture-Drama and Best Director awards at the 78th Golden Globe Awards and the Best Film and Best Director awards at the 74th BAFTA Awards. It won the prestigious Golden Lion award at the 77th Venice International Film Festival.