Director Report Card: Chloe Zhao (2020)

3. NomadLand

Following the critical praise of "The Rider," Chloe Zhao was already on her way to the A-List. Based on the strength of her second feature, Marvel offered her the chance to direct one of their mega-budget superhero epics. Frances McDormand and producer Peter Spears also saw "The Rider" early on. They decided Zhao would be the perfect filmmaker to direct the adaptation of Jessica Bruder's non-fiction book, "Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century." Zhao would shoot the film while simultaneously doing pre-production prep on "Eternals." It was originally assumed that the superhero movie would see wide-release before the independent feature but COVID changed all that. Now, after a very strange year, "Nomadland" has emerged as the favorite to win Best Picture at 2021's Oscars. 

In 2011, Fern loses two things: Her husband of many years and her long-time job at the Gypsum plant in Empire, Nevada. The closure of the plant cripples the town, which soon becomes abandoned. With few other options, she buys a van and decides to start living on the road. She travels the country, working odd jobs when she can, but never putting down roots. An invitation to a desert conference held by author Bob Wells puts her in contact with an entire community of modern nomads. Soon, Fern makes friends and recounted family as she continues down the road. 

"Nomadland" is truly a film for our times. When we first meet Fern, she is working a seasonal job at an Amazon fulfillment center. It's refreshing to see a job that myself, and a lot of people like me, have held down at one point in time or another. And it's not like anyone works at Amazon or similar places because they want to. The spectre of financial ruin lingers large in the background of "Nomadland." Like Zhao's earlier films, it depicts people living in poverty that have been left behind by the rest of the world. Fern works odd, low-paying, and demeaning jobs because she has to, because she has no other options. This is the existence that most Americans are grappling with in the modern age.

Fern and her fellow nomads choose to live life on the road because it at least allows them some degree of freedom. Many of the travelers featured in the film describe their desire to see America, then just suffer in one location. One of the most touching scenes in the movie concerns Swankie, a terminally-ill woman living out the last years of her life on the road. As she talks about seeing sparrows fly over a lake, shedding their egg shells as they take to the air. Being on the road gives many of these people a sense of serenity they wouldn't find otherwise.

This is not why Fern has taken up the nomadic lifestyle. "Nomadland" joins the proud tradition of American movies that literalizes the idea of people running from their past by driving around the country. Fern has never really grappled with the traumatic loss of her husband or her home. She refuses to put down roots anywhere, refuting several invitations to find a new home throughout the film. Interestingly, the film never judges Fern for her choice to stay on the road. There's no grand reckoning concerning her grief. Becoming a nomad works for her. It's a healthy way for her to handle her feelings. 

Overall, Zhao's handling of the more dramatic elements of the story are much more assured here than in "The Rider." There are no heavy-handed metaphors about wild horses here. Instead, Zhao lets her story breath naturally. Our climax occurs when Fern opens up to Bob Wells about her late husband, which leads to a very emotional outpouring of feelings from Bob about his son's suicide. The quiet scenes that follow are a perfectly thoughtful conclusion to the story, a cathartic release that never draws too much attention to itself. 

"Nomadland" is also fascinating as a peek into a unique American subculture. We learn all about the ins and outs of modern nomadic living here. We see the pros and cons of this lifestyle. A tight-knit community is depicted here. Several times, Fern depends on a fellow nomad to drive her to an auto shop. She gets jobs because of her friends. A "pay-it-forward" attitude to express among them, never allowing payment for their favors. They insist they'll pay it back further down the road.

There are a lot of downsides to living in a van though. Early on, a good samaritan warns Fern about how cold it's going to get that night, fearful she'll freeze to death in her van. When a vehicle breaks down in the middle of nowhere, the nomads have nobody but themselves to depend on. Also: They don't typically have access to in-door plumbing. "Nomadland" frankly depicts what someone living in a van has to do when nature calls. (It involves buckets.) The film is definitely not a glamorous depiction of modern nomadic living. It's honest. 

Due to its premise, "Nomadland" naturally becomes a travelogue of America. Since this is a Chloe Zhao movie, we are largely visiting the American Midwest. We are taken through the winding deserts of Arizona. A notable episode takes place in Badlands National Park in South Dakota, Fern playfully skipping along the park's distinctive rock formations. Several scenes are set in the shadow of a brontosaurus statue in the nearby town of Wall. "Nomadland" is clearly interested in giving us a peek at some less explored corners of America. 

Zhao's films continue to combine narrative filmmaking with documentary elements. Much like her first two features, “Nomadland” casts most of its characters with real people. Swankie played herself and really does have cancer. Bob Wells' words are his own, describing his own real feelings. Many of the stories told on camera are real and they are told by real people. The production was so committed to realism throughout filming that many of the nomads assumed Frances McDormand really was her character, not realizing she was a two-time Academy Award winning actress.

Zhao's trademark fusion of documentary filmmaking and more cinematic techniques are present in her shooting style as well. When watching Fern go about her various jobs, “Nomadland” feels very naturalistic. We simply sit back and watch as she packs boxes in an Amazon center or works the conveyor belt at a beet processing plant. Otherwise times, Zhao embraces the sweeping vistas the story presents her with. Many of “Nomadland's” shots are gorgeous, showing a van weaving down a long road in the purple glow of early morning dawns. Or a view of the ocean from a rainy clifftop. Joshua James Richards' cinematography is among the film's many Oscar nominations and probably deserves to win.

Holding the entire enterprise together is Frances McDormand's amazing lead performance. McDormand, shown off in many of her other roles, has the ability to convey an extensive range of emotion simply through a glance or a slight raising of her shoulder. Rarely does Fern verbalize the grief and pain she lives with, McDormand simply suggesting it through the weary face or tired eyes. When she finds those moments of serenity, like when dunking into a hot spring along the road, the audience feels the same sense of relaxation and realization. 

Any time a movie is so well received, to genuinely be considered the best reviewed movie of the year, a backlash sets in immediately. Some folks are preemptively declaring “Nomadland” overrated, calling it boring or lifeless. A low-key, independent effort like this perhaps was never meant to be scrutinized on such a wide level. (If it wasn't for COVID rendering 2020's Awards Season so unusual, who knows if this would be the frontrunner it's become.) “Nomadland” isn't your typical awards bait movie and is all the better because of it. It's a beautifully told story and a convincing snapshot of the times we are living through. I'm confident it is Zhao's best film yet, her most balanced and fully formed work. [Grade: A]

After watching through her three features to date, I'm really curious why Marvel scooped up Zhao for their next massive superhero flick. Zhao's films, with their intimate direction and focus on realism, are about as far away from a Marvel movie as you can get. "The Eternals" is a far out and cosmic story, the exact opposite of a micro-examination like "Songs My Brothers Taught Me." On the other hand, Zhao was a great catch for the company, as they'll probably have a movie in the docket from a Best Director winner soon. Whether Zhao truly does something different with "Eternals" or if her quirks are ironed out by the giant budget remains to be seen. Either way, this was an interesting and insightful quick retrospective to do.