Review of Nomadland (2021) by Clarisesamuels — 27 Apr 2021

Given the awards and glowing reviews this film garnered, it's hard to stand up and say, "this film bored me." Nevertheless, this was the case. I don't like documentaries about road trips, and I'm pretty sure this is what I just watched. Frances McDormand has noted in interviews that she has often fantasized about chucking it all in and taking off in a van, which in her case sounds more like a romantic fantasy about discovering the true beauty and true grit of America, perhaps something like Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley or maybe even Kerouac’s On the Road.

However, the story pretends to be about social justice, even though it is ironic that the protagonist in real life is a world-famous actress, whose net worth is listed as $30 million and whose husband's net worth is listed by various sources as being anywhere from $20 to $100 million. Half the cast is comprised of actors who are real van-dwellers, and in keeping with this pseudo-documentary style, there is very little plot, sparse dialogue, no dramatic tension, and an ending that resolves nothing.

The film stops just short of romanticizing the lifestyle of the homeless, or as it is rephrased, the "houseless," which makes it sound better, but the film also ducks and basically hides under McDormand's van when it begs the question, how did it come to this in one of the richest countries in the world? Answer: Because there are not enough socialist programs in the United States, and yes, the government has a responsibility to take care of the people, which means, among other things, equitable distribution of income and higher taxes for the rich. This is not a subject that multimillionaire producers want to ponder–they would rather focus on wanderlust and beautiful sunsets.

Thus, there is no talk of the dangerous ultraconservatism that grips the United States, the rampant undereducation of the American people, the outrageous cost of American medical care and prescription drugs, the recent shocking wave of racism and antisemitism, the desperate need for stricter gun laws, and the list goes on. Some of these antecedents helped to land these people in their vans.

Sadly, if social justice is what the director and producers of Nomadland were after, they missed the mark by a mile.