Everything about Zhao's film Nomanland is beautiful. It is a visually stunning piece with McDormand's singular performance at its centre and its narrative is a hauntingly lovely little story about people who have chosen to live differently. Zhao has sprinkled the music of Ludovico Einaudi throughout highlighting the melancholy glory of such a tale. All of it is truly gorgeous.
Zhao films her story with a lyrical style, keeping her camera moving slowly throughout so there is always a sense of movement. She eschews too many scenes of conflict, focusing more on her individual subjects and their passion for their lives, especially McDormand who always is able to fill a screen with her incredible face that gives us so much to watch. Nomadland is like that, so much to watch as we just look at it as rarely is much happening.
There isn't much plot per se to Nomadland. Much of the film is situational. We're just seeing what happens, and not so much a strung together series of events. Instead the story here comes through moments, not played out for dramatic effect, but just laid before the audience for us to experience.
And as it comes to and end you'll just want to sit there with what you've seen and let it wash over you. Perhaps it won't all mean much at first but it will certainly stick with you.
Nomandland
Starring: Francis McDormand, David Strathairn, Peter Spears
Writer/Director: Chloe Zhao
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