I was left speechless by the end of Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland. It’s fascinating, a film stripped down of everything. No flare, no CGI, no melodramatics, or massive budgets. Just a story about a woman named Fern (played spectacularly by Frances McDormand), who loses her husband after a long fight with cancer, sells all her stuff and decides to live her life as a nomad in the west. The story sounds simplistic because it is. It’s about shedding the excess, purging the things that can weigh a human down, where Fern finds solace and peace among others like her. It sounds romantic because it is, but Zhao does not sugar coat anything. The decision that Fern has made is a wild one. It’s certainly not for everyone, but Nomadland makes you empathize with Fern, look at the beauty of this earth through her eyes, and see that there is much to discover. Nomadland is the best film of 2020 and it will speak to the hearts and minds of everyone.
