1. The Offensive Problem with Nomadland
2. Nomadland reviewed by Mark Kermode
3. Why NOMADLAND (2021) Doesnt Work
4. Why Nomadland Won Best Director
5. NOMADLAND MOVIE REVIEW | Double Toasted
6. TIFF 2020: Pieces of a Woman, One Night in Miami, Nomadland
7. NOMADLAND | Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Frances McDormand | Film Companion

The Offensive Problem with Nomadland

i didnt like nomad land trust me,i really wanted to i followed it for,months while i was playing in the,festival circuit,i considered watching it stream online,as part of the virtual new york film,festival but i decided against it,because i wanted to see it on the big,screen,i was excited to see a malik inspired,drama set in the american southwest,starring francis mcdormand who almost,always gives great performances,on paper it seemed like it would be my,movie of the year,but then i saw it and something didnt,sit right with me there was this itch in,the back of my head telling me that,there was something wrong with this,movie,something bad but i couldnt quite put,my finger on it for a while but now i,think i understand,nomad land is a movie set shortly after,the housing crash in recession of 2007,the factory where fern and her husband,worked for their entire lives closed,shop,displacing thousands of people and,killing the town her husband died,shortly after and fern committed to a,spartan life on the road,the life of a nomad lets be frank shes,homeless wandering from town to town in,search of temporary jobs working for,wages that barely last her until her,next gig each year around christmas time,she works at an amazon warehouse,which looks like a fun job from this,movies perspective i was trying to see,if there were any piss bottles in the,warehouse but,unfortunately i couldnt find any so why,didnt i like it,i think it all starts with a question,who was the movie,made for i was the only person in the,cinema watching the film,so i didnt really have any anecdotal,evidence to find out who the core,audience of the movie was so i decided,to go out and ask people if they saw,nomad land,have you seen the movie nomad land not,yet,no i have not no no,i have no idea what that is no ive seen,the trailer i want to watch it,no have you heard of it,it doesnt seem like they really took to,it so who did,the kind of people who go to film,festivals and pay for overpriced movie,tickets,who love to log their film viewings on,letterboxed and who probably went to,good colleges and live in coastal cities,people like me people from well-to-do,families who dont know what its like,to be hungry,to be without a home to have their whole,life shattered because of the closure of,a factory,so maybe making a film like nomad land,is good it makes middle,upper middle and upper class people,aware of the struggles of those without,however maybe its just me but i didnt,get the feeling that that was the,purpose of the movie,it felt too cheery people love to talk,about voyeurism and film,many films are centered around voyeurs,you can probably name several off the,top of your head,rear window peeping tom the conversation,the truman show being john malkovich in,the lives of others come to mind,voyeurism and film fit together like a,hand in a glove,film is the act of seeing and hearing,into someone elses life,someone elses dreams someone elses,nightmares,film is inherently voyeuristic i think,though for the purposes of this video we,can narrow our focus down from voyeurism,in general to class voyeurism,class voyeurism the act of peering into,another class,in this case through film is not a bad,thing by itself we often live in bubbles,of our own economic brackets,if you grew up in a middle-income,suburban neighborhood chances are your,friends are,mostly other middle class kids if you,grew up in a poor neighborhood,chances are so did your friends film,allows us to see,outside of our everyday bubble it,expands our world,shows like downton abbey and the crown,appealed to most everyone because for,most people,the lives of the uber wealthy are alien,it provides an escape a fantasy,and though people in the lower classes,might act as voyeurs into the upper,echelons of society via film the inverse,is also true,wealthy people can often be more,disconnected from the lives of,working-class people than working-class,people are,of them is it immoral for an elite to,peek into the world of someone whos,poor,no of course not it can be beneficial,these films can change hearts and move,people to support charities,become more generous see lower class,people as the complex,and human people that they are or try to,help those,in need and their communities but for,that to happen the movies about the,struggles of those on the lower rungs of,society,need to be confrontational they need to,treat the subjects,as humans they cant pull punches they,cannot,be sanitized because if they try to,comfort their intended audience then,they arent on the side of their,subjects,theyve turned into what i call poverty,porn a film that allows wealthier people,to comfortably observe a sanitized view,of poverty from a distance these are,films that dont challenge the audience,but rather glorify or romanticize the,state of being poor,making them feel less like pieces of,hard-hitting social realism like,kess for example and more like,exploitation films that get nominated,for academy awards,like films that allow us to observe the,poor in the same way in which we observe,animals in a zoo,is it a film that challenges us or is it,a film that pulls its punches to relieve,the audience of any negative intrusive,thoughts,i think its the latter no matter her,struggles the film portrays her as a,free-spirited individual,it romanticizes the nomadic lifestyle we,see her floating peacefully in a,mountain stream,its just her against the world driven,by the kind of rugged american,individualism that defines our national,culture,she likes her odd jobs and its her,right to but her optimistic view of her,situation is not,shared by actual people living the,nomadic lifestyle,many elderly people displaced by layoffs,and recessions work physical labor which,often result in injuries,like broken ribs and fractured skulls,that the employers dont cover,nomad land shows none of this these,elderly people who should be enjoying,their twilight years in relative comfort,are instead used as cheap expendable,labor and this movie,is trying to tell us that this isnt,that bad why,this is a serious problem facing our,nations elderly and this movie,completely whitewashes it or really just,pretends that it doesnt even exist,i think that we can find an answer to,this question if we dive into the films,intent,why was it made it all stemmed from a,fantasy that frances mcdormand had,quoting her when im 65 im changing my,name to fern,im smoking lucky strikes drinking wild,turkey im getting an rv,and hitting the road when mcdormand read,the book nomad land surviving america in,the 21st century by jessica bruder,she saw a means to bring her fantasy to,life on the silver screen,its my opinion and you may very well,not agree that the core,problem of nomad land is that it stems,from mcdormand and zhao setting out to,make a film about mcdormands alter ego,rather than a film about the people who,actually have to live these lives,furthermore the way zhao and company,shot the film might register as real as,to some people but slimy to others,they used real nomads most notably bob,wells linda mae and swanky as characters,in the film,using non-professional actors is nothing,new it was a common practice in,italian neorealist films 80 years ago,and i understand zhaos intent,she wanted to blend fiction with,non-fiction narrative with documentary,to an extent it works one thing i have,to give credit to the film for,is how it allows the non-actors to tell,their stories,they speak about what led them to the,life of living on the road,these scenes are by far the most,affecting scenes in the movie but,theyre not the primary focus of the,movie,furnace and considering where this film,originated from i cant shake this,feeling that this movie is an exercise,in play-acting poverty the real people,feel like background characters in,mcdormands movie theyre there to flesh,out the setting,more than theyre there for the film to,explore their ways of life,and their stories they stop being the,real people they ar

Nomadland reviewed by Mark Kermode

so nomad land which obviously was the,big winner at the oscars which i thought,they did a very good job,at the oscars considering uh you know,all the restrictions that they had,uh i know that uh donald trump tweeted,how disastrous it was which makes me,like it even more,and uh i was generally pretty happy with,the,with the results with some exceptions,but no madeleine third feature from,chloe zou who became only the second,woman ever to win the,oscar best director and obviously you,know,catherine bigelow hurt like best picture,so nomadland won best picture and also,frances mcdormand earning her third best,actress oscar so,completely garlanded with awards the,film is,inspired by a non-fiction book nomad,land surviving american 21st century,and uh essentially francis mcdormand,plays,a character who finds herself widowed,and effectively unemployed who sees,the only possibility of a future by,heading out on the road by putting her,possessions into a van because,you know shes shes not homeless but,she is houseless,and as she goes out into this new life,she meets a community of people the,modern nomads who are chronicled,um in the book by uh jessica bruder,and what the film does is it mixes,uh people like francis mcdormand and,david strathan who of course are,seasoned performers,with people playing very close to home,people who are non-professional,actors who are playing characters who,are effectively versions of themselves,in a,lightly dramatized situation its a,tough life,and there are many challenges along the,way not least keeping your van on the,road heres a clip,okay uh what weve got is,parts and labor twenty three hundred,dollars in,tax i just looked up the value on your,van,with that high of mileage youre looking,about five thousand dollars at the most,id probably recommend um,taking that money and putting it towards,a different vehicle no well i cant do,that,i cant do that see because all right um,i spent a lot of time and money building,the inside out and,a lot of people dont understand the,value of that but its not something,like we can,i live in there its my home,the thing thats really interesting,about the film is that on the one hand,the subject matter can sound quite,bleak somebody whos who kind of embarks,on this new life because they have to,because of the economic recession,and um as i said the subtitle of the of,the source book which is,surviving uh america in 21st century,gives you that sense of you know that,there is a desolation involved in this,whats great about the film however is,its,very positive i know youve seen it as,well simon because obviously you know a,big awards contender,i thought that when chloe zhao on the,oscars stage said that wherever shes,gone in the world shes found,goodness in people absolutely runs,through this film its about somebody,heading off into uncertain waters and,meeting a community of people,who are fundamentally decent,fundamentally,good and i think what the film does is,kind of,mine that rich seam of humanity that,seems to run through the,margins of society in which chlorija has,proven herself very,capable of capturing on film,there are western inflections to it i,mean its absolutely beautifully shot,um by joshua james richards who gives,you this kind of widescreen vista and,you cited earlier on that,francis mcdormand had said you know go,and see the films in the cinema,this is now available on disney plus but,in a couple of weeks time it will be,available in cinemas and i i think it is,worth,going to the cinema to see it because it,does have,again this was something we were talking,about when i was talking about that,mexican movie identifying features it,has that sense of,landscape and obviously when youre,talking about this particular landscape,youre thinking of you know,the western genre which is so much a,part of the frontier myth,of america all that is involved here,and the other thing thats kind of,remarkable,is that for a film that has so many,awards to its name now for a film that,is so heavily garlanded with awards,its very light it feels it has a kind,of incidental quality and that doesnt,mean,incidental as in disposable but it means,its a film that bears that weight,very lightly you can imagine another,version of the world in which this film,just did the circuit as an independent,movie that received rave reviews from a,small number of people,but i think its great that its been,given this platform,as a result of the oscars i do think,chloe zhao and you can see her building,here on songs my brothers taught me and,the rider,she is a remarkable filmmaker and she,blends,the elements of fact and fiction so,seamlessly that you really dont see the,join at,all but the most important thing i think,is that it is a film with a good heart,its a film that makes you think,actually people are fundamentally good,and when she said that from the oscar,stage i thought,good for you what a what a great thing,to say at a time like this,that in your experiences of traveling,around the world,you have fundamentally found that people,are essentially good and i think thats,what the film says,yes and thats one of the,you know when the film finishes you i,think one i mean one of its many,achievements is that it gets that,balance right because it doesnt it,to me i dont think it ever it ever,strays into that territory by saying,um and saying what a noble existence,that you know this is it,it doesnt say that this is not fun,theyre not having a great time its not,a good life and yet,having said that there is a contentment,about,a lot of the characters that we meet,because they think okay,this isnt a noble life but there is,nobility in,in what were doing i think it it does a,brilliant job,of portraying people making the best of,a bad situation,and as i said at the beginning you know,the setup for this is,basically the recession that this has,happened because,the economies have collapsed and,suddenly and were not talking about,young guns going on the road this isnt,jack kerouac,this is people later stages of their,life who never plan to have this,existence,but have had it because there was no,choice,and they are making the best of it and,they are finding the,you know the pearl in the oyster its,the you know the grit of sand becomes,the pearl,anyway i think its a very fine film and,im very glad it won the oscar in bravo

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Why NOMADLAND (2021) Doesnt Work

hey everybody today i am going to be,reviewing,nomad land this film was directed by,chloe zao,frances mcdormand who um stars in the,film actually bought the rights i think,to the book and she persuaded,chloe zhao to come on board to direct it,a couple years ago i believe and i know,now its generating a lot of,awards buzz and its getting a lot of,critical acclaim though for me,while i was watching it i was moved at,times i think it certainly had,its moments that i was uh pleased by but,for some reason as i was watching it,this film just never,came together in a way that really felt,like it was harmonious in a way that,really affected me,it just wasnt gelling and the more time,i had to let it kind of marinate in my,mind,the more glaring those issues with it,that i had became,the thing is i love the type of art you,know whether i mean a movie certainly,works really well but it could be a,novel it could even be an album,where you use a road trip or you know,being on the open road like that as the,framework for,the way that you discover your,protagonists identity it is the perfect,framework for that kind of,self-discovery mission i think for,having a personal odyssey trying to find,a sort of transcendence beyond you know,our existence,and the thing about it is youve got an,open road in front of you and behind you,its like theres no beginning or no end,and that can sort of,you know be a little bit trippy at times,you know like that reliance,on yourself man against nature you know,its a very daunting thing at times and,you know it really puts your,significance as a human i think,uh to the test its just perfect for the,narrative format i personally,love being on the open road more than,almost anything in the world i just just,love it and ive driven through you know,some of the places that,fern has fern is the main character here,whos played by uh francis mcdormand,and um you know i was really hoping that,this film would inspire me in that way,uh creatively and youd think,it is you know like just while watching,it it does capture the essence,i think of that authenticity the cast,and crew basically lived,a sort of nomadic lifestyle where they,were living out of their vans they were,really traveling from place to place,um in these locations to shoot really,exploring the american landscape but,also it uses,actual nomads in the film uh throughout,the movie i think the only,um you know professional actors here are,francis mcdormand and um,david stratham and you do have to admire,that to a certain degree you know,submerging yourself in that lifestyle,really does help,and yet ironically i found myself,looking at this more kind of italian,neo-realistic approach that theyre,going for here,and while it may feel authentic on the,surface uh and you know its touching on,authentic moments,it rarely goes into the depths of what,its really like you know to have to,live that nomadic lifestyle its,its the flavor without a lot of the,real substance without a lot to really,sink your teeth into,and thus i always felt kind of a,disconnect i felt removed from the,characters in the film,and the story itself left a lot to be,desired for me and i think,without you know a lot of the meat of,that a lot of the authenticity,of the rest of the film just sort of,falls flat the story i think really has,to have meaning and it has to work for,the rest to be able to sing,whats going on here is theyre wanting,to in part theyre wanting to make a,film that is very much like a docu-drama,its a movie thats supposed to be as i,said like a neo-realistic,piece where you have real nomads in the,story in real locations,and its meant to be a commentary in,part on the recession and the,repercussions,of that throughout the american west but,it just doesnt really explore we never,really get to see,or really experience the true despair,and the desperation that comes out of,these types of sacrifices,you know there are as i said hints of it,here and there the flavor of struggle,without really,getting to experience the struggle like,the real repercussions of hard manual,labor like that especially when you are,in your older years when youre in your,60s,and you know there are a lot of things,that i wish we could have seen more of,you know theres a lot of seedy kind of,dangerous types of people that you meet,when youre on the road like that but it,felt like they were trying to glorify,a lot of these people indirectly you,know its like theyre showcasing their,quirks,like theyre on full display for us,making it seem like theyre all very,quaint types of people who are happy to,help,a neighbor and yes thats absolutely,true you know like ive been on you know,many many road trips in my life,and yeah a lot of people out there are,willing to help you theyre very kind,theyre very interesting types of people,but ive also seen some and i think,that you know this movie could have,benefited from showing a little bit more,of that you know a little bit more of,the ugliness and the darkness mixed in,with that beauty to make it more uh,fully rounded and a lot of the nomads in,the film theyre given these sorts of,you know like these monologues where,its meant to be a sort of reflection a,meditation on their own lives and how,that,you know how that can sort of inform,fern on her journey as a as a,story device and yet i felt like the,writing of it really reduced,the nomad experience into these,snapshots that were very,compartmentalized and they felt more,like they were there to evoke,sentiment like its consciously,presentational in a way that just,feels really uh false to me or it rings,false and,again its ironic because these are real,nomads how are you going to get real,nomads in their real lifestyles in the,locations in which they live,and yet it doesnt i dont feel it im,just sitting there feeling like,everything is very,scripted and it turns them into a,novelty which i find to be kind of,disrespectful to them and i know what,they were trying to do but i just wasnt,a fan of the execution this film,i think you know its going for or i,should say its similar,to films like the florida project for,example directed by uh,sean baker and its similar in structure,as well like you know the second half of,the film,for that film is really where the story,starts to take shape and its the same,uh in this film but with florida project,you really feel like you knew these,characters just by sitting there,having the camera linger on these,characters and not really judge them in,any way,that felt absolutely authentic whereas,this one,i felt like the camera just kind of goes,from here to here to here and its not,really lingering on anything long enough,for me to feel,you know the those textures to really,capture who these people are,and then theres another tone that this,film is going for so you have like a,couple things,going on here and that would be that,its going more for,a more cinematic approach you know where,its much more poetic and meditative and,were really getting these gorgeous,shots of of the american landscape and,this is where,fern is kind of accepting her call to,adventure in id say the second act of,the film,where shes really rediscovering that,identity and its,um almost like a rebirth so it does feel,very much removed from reality at that,point,and yeah as i said when youre on an,open road like that especially for a,long time things do get uh pretty trippy,and at least for me they do and i often,have a lot of really kind of intense,introspective moments uh and you sort of,find yourself,transcending uh to a degree because you,have this sense of freedom,and that can be really really beautiful,if you let it even,when you dont have very much at all,very little in fact in terms of material,possessions and there were parts of that,that i actually i i liked there were,parts of that i found very nice and,certain subtle moments that were,you know where nothing really is,happening that i i was pleased by,especially when theres no dialogue i,

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Why Nomadland Won Best Director

thanks to nordpass for sponsoring this,video heres a behind-the-scenes clip,from the production of nomadland what,youre seeing here is,almost the entire production crew for,the film and if youre familiar with,film production you know that this is an,incredibly small crew,even for a mid-size indie film like this,but director chloe zhaos approach to,shooting nomad land,was very different from how a lot of,directors approach shooting a film,nomad land is a film about fictional,protagonist fern as she,plots a course across the american,landscape,[Music],it relies heavily on natural light,grounds its story in the incredible,landscapes and nature that serve as a,backdrop for life on the road,intimately explores the personal,experience of its characters,utilizes non-actors playing themselves,to populate the communities of nomadic,workers in the film,[Music],adopts a probing reactive style of,handheld camera work,to evoke a sense of something that lies,beyond the frame,and utilizes non-continuity editing to,drift seamlessly from moment to moment,[Music],michelle doesnt know,yeah you should take this one that that,ones kind of funky,lets look at this moment from nomad,land and pay close attention to the,visual characteristics of the scene,yeah these yours yeah theres a black,hole in every van,when i look at this some key visual,elements stand out to me the use of,natural light,the freedom of the handheld camera and,the use of a wide angle lens,i make them okay sure wow what is this,crochet,one or more of these elements are,present in almost every scene throughout,the film,the natural sunlight always low in the,sky and positioned to,backlight or sidelight the characters,the camera that is free to respond,and is clearly reacting to characters in,the moment,and the wide-angle lenses that keep the,environment and setting,always present in the frame even during,close-ups,its easy to think zhao might just be,making these choices so the film looks a,certain way,but i think they are born out of an,approach to filmmaking,that pretty radically departs from how,your average production,operates,[Music],to understand the context of zhaos work,and direction we need to travel back a,little ways in film history,40 years before zhao made nomad land,director terence malik released his,second film days of heaven,which focuses on a few characters within,a community of nomadic workers,it is firmly anchored in natural light,and nature,and intimately explores the personal,experience of its characters,before that maleks first film badlands,plotted a course,across the american landscape in the,thin red line and the new world,with the help of legendary,cinematographer emmanuel lebeske,malik would develop a probing reactive,style of handheld camera movement,that used very wide angle lenses to,ground the characters,in their environment and the nature that,surrounded them in maliks contemporary,films he would begin to work with a,combination of actors,and real people and would often abandon,continuity editing for something more,impressionistic,zhao is not merely a visual copy of,malik like malik,zhao and her cinematographer arent,simply trying to create an interesting,visual style,they are making choices about how they,approach production,that are intimately connected to the,visual elements of the film we sometimes,tend to think of a films style how it,looks and feels on screen as something,that is primarily an aesthetic decision,on the part of the director and crew,and it is in a way but thinking of how a,film looks as being primarily motivated,by trying to achieve a specific,look leads us to misunderstand why a,style develops organically,and why certain filmmakers are drawn to,that style,i think many stylistic movements in film,instead of being motivated by an attempt,to achieve a certain unique visual,aesthetic,instead arise out of a unique approach,to how the film is made,that results in a look on screen as a,byproduct,of the approach to production,so in theory we can look at these,stylistic characteristics of malek and,zhaos films,and potentially find the motivation,behind these choices,the natural light for example the use of,low natural sunlight looks good but its,as much a choice of practicality and,function as it is style relying on,natural light means you dont need,as many crew members or as much bulky,lighting equipment,this allows you to be more reactive to,the environment to travel to locations,more quickly and affordably,and gives the actors more freedom to,move through their environments while,working,since they arent confined to part of,the set that has been pre-lit,the wide-angle lenses not only do they,keep the surrounding location,visible but they make smooth adaptive,handheld camera movement,easier to pull off the cameras ability,to be reactive,allows more of the control of the scene,to be placed in the hands of the actors,allowing them to walk and stand where,they want and it puts less pressure on,non-actors to remember blocking and hit,marks,and shooting this way ends up shaping,how you edit and structure the film,no mad land like many of maliks films,trades out,continuity editing to operate mostly as,a kind of montage,scenes are rarely edited in continuity,in nomad land,instead most play out like this one,okay okay okay,the scene of linda mae leaving is,constructed out of just,four shots between each if you pay close,attention theres a,clear jump in time yet the cuts are,placed carefully enough that none of,them are visually jarring,this style of editing serves as a,stylistic device but its also practical,it allows for longer more,improvisational takes to be shot and,then shaped into,a scene the editing and shooting styles,are interwoven,when you dont have to worry about,cutting to reverse shots you dont have,to worry about shooting them which means,you can be more flexible as you shoot,and it helps you,when working with golden hour natural,light shooting a whole scene like this,one in one take and then cutting it into,a final scene,allows you to work quickly in the brief,window of light you have available,and the roving camera is important for,editing scenes like this if the camera,was more static there would be fewer,opportunities to cut out sections,without creating a jump cut and again,this helps give the actors more,flexibility and freedom,i think most if not all of these,stylistic choices for both malik and,zhao,arise out of two motivating factors a,desire to ground their films in real,locations and people,and wanting to give themselves and the,people they put,in front of the camera freedom but why,is that freedom important to malik and,zhao,i think maliks style arose organically,as he,started radically changing how he,approached producing,films often shooting without scripts or,dialogue,and attempting to find the film as he,went in an interview with asc,zhao talks about taking a similar,approach,about making a film as a search for,answers to a question,rather than as a way to state something,you already know,xiao says its almost a necessity for,him to explore something he wants to,understand about the world,about human existence about all these,bigger questions he had and that shines,through,his cinema thats why his films are so,intimate and so universal,at the same time hes exploring,questions that everyone can relate to,theres a lot of myself asking these,questions as well and by making these,films i was able to have,some of them explored for zhao making,the film is a process of discovering the,story the greater freedom and,flexibility and the approach to,production gives you a greater ability,to follow the story where it leads i,think this is why some other filmmakers,seem to come up empty,when they emulate or build upon maliks,style because,a visual style by itself isnt that,compelling you have to,understand the underlying reasons a,filmmaker came to that approach,or that style and chloe zhao seems to,understand this,in malik and in nomadland she finds

NOMADLAND MOVIE REVIEW | Double Toasted

[Music],yes maam i will sometimes call you,nomads,[Music],she dont look like her right now she,look like [ __ ] this was a mistake,[Laughter],i should miss my i miss my toilet right,now,[Music],hey everyone support our patreon which,helps us to continue bringing you our,live streams,videos and podcasts while bringing you,new content such as exclusive,live streams and animated shorts oh we,talked about,one award nominee a little while ago,that a lot of people say why,was that a nominee for something i dont,understand that that just goes to show,me thats right,the award shows are full of [ __ ] but,maybe maybe the,with this next film right here now that,now that one youre talking about that,dumb [ __ ] over there,now this right here this is what were,talking about this,is an awards worthy movie at least,thats what people are saying,the movie talking about is nomad land in,nomad land,we get francis mcdormand she plays fern,man she had a nice humble life in empire,nevada,if you live in empire nevada your life,aint good you just dont know it yall,can say that,you just dont you just dont know any,better,fern she meant listen honestly i wish,more people could be like her,fern had a humble life and she was happy,for it more people should be like fern,fern she was a substitute teacher her,husband her husband bo,was a worker at united states gypsum,corporation,that was a company that made sheep rock,now,apparently empire nevada they existed,solely,on sheetrock because once that company,folded the town [ __ ] died,it went from population 4 thousand,something to zero,i mean that that happens a lot therell,be a company town a town that springs up,just because of,the industry thats there and when,thats gone,yep and when the town died ferns,husband bo did too apparently they,their existence was connected connected,to each other,uh but at the at this point,fern has nothing left she,leaves her home because there aint no,home there anymore,she leaves everything behind doesnt try,to look for anything new except the open,road shes got a shitty van,and she goes out there to just go across,america and see what she can see,while living free as i said this is a,movie thats been,thats been touted about as an,oscar-worthy film and probably some,other awards out there,lets go and take a look at the trailer,for nomad land,yes maam i will sometimes call you,nomads,[Music],she dont look like her right now she,look like [ __ ] this is a mistake,i should miss my i miss my toilet right,now,im [ __ ] holes in the ground,uh but this is what this is about the,life of nomads,well talk about that thats one of the,things i will say thats interesting,about this,is telling about lifestyle a lot of,people dont know about my mom says,thats your homeless,is that true no im not homeless,im just houseless not the same thing,right,no no you homeless you aint got no home,you homeless you have a you have a van,you know you are not van less thats,true but you are homeless,i mean she is houseless its just that,if you if you just stop right there you,go like oh and walk away it sounds fine,but if you ask her just two more,questions you like,oh holy [ __ ],my husband worked at the usg mine in,empire,ill see you again,if you look up any reviews of this movie,theres some people talking about this,movie youll,hear a couple of words that are used,such as,poetic contemplative,and when you hear those words thats,when you come in and say stop,bullshitting that means,boring i aint never seen a movie that,was described as poetic,or contemplative where the movie was,ill put it kindly wasnt uh,taking his time oh you you [ __ ] you,forgot one,a meditation on a meta yeah exactly im,mad at,[ __ ] when i met when somebody,meditates they are the most boring,person to like to hang with,all right uh and it liz i im just,telling you like it is,because when people put those words out,there they they put those words that,like thats supposed to like make you,like the [ __ ] more,you know you know im using those nice,big critic,critical words out there its like no,when you hear those things you always,as a regular movie viewer you whenever,you those words you usually put some,[ __ ] down like nope,but not for me that means im going to,sleep,but the [ __ ] is slow,and you have like i said you have yet to,hear to see a movie where though when,those words are using it its not slow,now im not saying that thats a bad,thing i just want to get,to get that out the way before we start,getting comments from people saying,man i aint watching this [ __ ] this [ __ ],looks boring and you know,what to some it will be i have to say,that,but this is where we come in and say not,all movies are meant to be the same in,all kind of categories and im not,meant to be the fit to one persons,description all i have a problem when a,movie,does something they set a certain pace,they set a certain tone,they set a certain narrative and,it doesnt work even if a movie is slow,if that movie is used to if that if the,if a movies pacing slow pacing is put,to,the usefulness of that film its what,its supposed to be its effective for,what it is,then okay im cool with that man,thats what this movie does here uh,theres a certain lifestyle that is here,that this movie wants to immerse you,into and i think that the approach of,taking his time with it is what works,for it,this is based off of a book actually,its uh,jessica bruders uh nomad land,and this is also directed by and this is,something that should be mentioned its,also direct directed by uh chloe zhao,and why this is interesting is because,this is a this is this is such a,as we say a poetic meditation,of uh uh a contemplative film,that you wonder why what what did marvel,see when they hired her for,the eternals its the same woman thats,doing that,and i dont know because this is,the anti-marvel its even the,anti-hollywood movie,until hollywood says we need something,to get an oscar then we go for the,slowest and,most contemplative [ __ ] that we can find,you know but but at that point,you know i if youre judging a movie,just because its slow then,nobody should criticize you for that,movies of different types are made for,everybody and if you were somebody who,is a marvel fan,you know if youre somebody whos,looking forward to this womans movies,this movies movie the eternals the way,for her movie the eternals to come out,definitely dont come see this right,here besides all the,nevada vistas that we have here in the,great cinematography that just wants to,like show you what theyre doing here,with that uh its focusing on a,lifestyle that not many of us are,familiar with and that is the nomadic,lifestyle,a lot of us dont know anything about,this yes we know people get into rvs and,they tour the country and whatnot but,this really does take an in-depth look,at why these people are doing it for,several reasons,um you know that now they say up front,that these are people who choose to live,their life from,the constraints of quote unquote you,know normal society,you know having a soul-crushing,occupation or employment,uh being held down by debt or being held,down by,a mortgage these people are saying id,rather take a man and go out there and,be free from all that now i have to work,every now and then uh odd jobs to do,this but,thats a small price to play to to pay,or play into when once that job is done,at amazon or maybe some,tourist shop or whatever they find odd,things to do for short periods of time,ill do it for that period of time and,then i will move on with my life,until i have to make money again,absolutely love,these kind of movies right here but ill,let martin take it mark might even tell,you about myself,no no no seeing it i i know you love it,and i and i love this element about it,also,is that a lot of it is with people who,are not,actors i mean they they get people who,are actually nomads or just other people,and it makes it feel authentic and uh,francis mcdormands character fern,she presents the oth

TIFF 2020: Pieces of a Woman, One Night in Miami, Nomadland

the toronto international film festival,is happening right now and for the first,year ever,i actually got pressed to tiff and its,a very strange feeling,im used to being excluded from that so,its its fun to to be a part of it this,year but,this year is very different press,screenings are being held virtually so,ive been able to watch a lot of these,films from home,its extremely convenient and although i,love the idea of going to a festival,and seeing friends and experiencing,these films in a theater,at least we get to talk about some,movies this year and theres going to be,a lot of films that im seeing,and theres no way i can make separate,videos for all of these im also,prepping my halloween special for next,month right now so were going to do,some condensed reviews of a bunch of,movies over the next few weeks,starting first with pieces of a woman,starring vanessa kirby shia labeouf,sarah snook benny safty molly parker and,ellen bernstein this film was terrific,it has what i think might be shia,labeoufs best performance to date,vanessa kirby is also,incredible in the movie so is ellen,bernstein all of the actors,are really phenomenal here its the type,of film that will stay on an actor for a,very long,one take as they deliver their monologue,and they wont cut away because the,actor is that good,and you dont feel bored by that in fact,the opening 30 minutes of this movie,is i believe a simulated one take i,i cannot imagine they actually achieved,it in one take i do not know that for a,fact but there are,some specific elements of the first 30,minutes that cannot have possibly been,done in one take its,mesmerizing and incredibly stressful,pieces of a woman,is a film riddled with anxiety,and its very hard to watch sometimes i,dont want to spoil exactly,what happens but essentially its about,a family thats grieving,and you experience why theyre grieving,in a very detailed way,and its hard to watch but the,performances are,insane the directing is very strong,although the first 30 minutes of the,movie,sort of threatened to overshadow the,rest of the movie because the first 30,minutes are so phenomenal,i believe netflix bought the rights to,it so hopefully you can see it very soon,im going to give pieces of a woman an a,minus one night in miami is regina,kings directorial debut and after,seeing this film,i want to see her do just about anything,her work in this movie is fantastic,because this is based off a play and,its largely just people in a room for,most of the movie a hotel room and so,you dont have a lot to do there,visually but the way she blocks these,actors,she always keeps the sequences,interesting the way actors move,in and out of the frame keep you on your,toes about,what level of power they have over the,other person in a scene,whos winning an argument whos losing,an argument the film is a fictional,account of one night where muhammad ali,malcolm x sam cook and jim brown all,gathered together to discuss their roles,in the civil rights movement and the,cultural,upheaval of the 1960s and while the,first act of the movie feels kind of,breezy and very light as were,introduced to all of these men,and what theyre doing in their lives at,the time obviously muhammad ali at the,time known as cassius clay,was becoming very famous as a boxer jim,brown is an nfl athlete,sam cook as a singer and malcolm x for,his human rights activism,that first act is enjoyable enough,because the performances are great and,the directing is really strong,but the film becomes mesmerizing once,these men start to argue,all of them are trying to help in,different ways,and they argue about whos being more,successful in helping with the civil,rights movement,and since all of them have a very,different approach to trying to make,things better,they dont always get along at first,thats where this film really shines and,it can be very depressing at times,because,the things that theyre talking about in,the 1960s,could unfortunately be applied to today,as well,all that being said regina king found a,way to make the film feel hopeful in the,end,im gonna give one night in miami an a,minus,nomad land was directed by chloe zao who,last made the writer and is helming the,upcoming the eternals for marvel,this film stars francis mcdormand as a,woman who has said [ __ ] it to the world,she has decided to live in a van and she,finds herself,talking to other people who live in vans,no not down by the river,chris farley rest in peace oh man now i,just got sad,youre living in a van down by the river,this is a very quiet film that is,performance oriented,its very focused on frances mcdormand,and her journey she works at amazon for,a while,she works in restaurants for a while all,because shes tired,of her old life and she would rather,just live off the grid this film is,worth seeing specifically for francis,mcdormands performance,and the beautiful cinematography but,also for the real life,nomads that the film includes theres a,documentary-esque,approach to talking to a few people who,actually do really live in vans and,including them as characters in this,movie and using their real names,these scenes with these people feel,completely unscripted i do not know if,they were,but i can only imagine the performances,that she got,out of these real-life nomads being as,good as they were,i cant imagine that that was scripted,theres some really strong work from,these non-actors and it reminded me of,under the skin,how they would have scarlett johansson,pull up to real,non-actors in her van and just have,scenes with them and they didnt even,know they were being filmed,it felt that real that being said the,film suffers from some major pacing,issues i feel because,you could watch this movie and you could,say that nothing really happens and i,would understand if thats what you,thought,because it is a very observant film,its you you watch francis mcdormand,poop in a bucket you watch her get to,know,people and you watch her live in a van,and you,understand exactly what that would feel,like like if you watch this film,the one thing you will definitely take,away from it is you will,100 percent know what its like to live,in a van in the middle of nowhere,and for some people that could be very,boring but francis mcdormands work and,surprisingly the work from the,non-actors,kept this film very watchable for me im,going to give nomadland a b,so those are three films i just saw at,tiff im going to be seeing some more,over the next few days a few midnight,madness films that i hope are,worthy of discussion and some other,stuff im looking forward to seeing guys,thank you so much as always for watching,and like i said i am prepping my,upcoming halloween special thats going,to start on october 1st this year so,look forward to that,guys thank you again as always for,watching and if you like this you can,click right here and get stuck manized

NOMADLAND | Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Frances McDormand | Film Companion

Early on in Nomadland, Fern tells someone,,“I’m not homeless. I’m just houseless. It’s not the same thing.”,Fern is 61. She’s a widow.,But she hasn’t just lost her husband. She’s lost her way of life.,Empire, the company town where they lived, has been shut.,We are told the zip code has been discontinued.,So Fern becomes a nomad.,She fits her van, which she names “Vanguard”, with a bed, a cooking area and a small storage space.,She takes up temporary jobs, including one in a gigantic Amazon fulfilment centre.,Mostly she drives through the vast American landscape.,Sometimes Fern seems dwarfed by the immensity of nature –,towering trees, snow-covered plains that stretch as far as the eye can see,,thundering seas crashing against ragged rocks.,Fern is alone but she isn’t pitiful – not even when she’s using a bucket in the van as a toilet.,Her resilience is deeply moving. Her dignity and strength made me weep.,Director Chloé Zhao constructs Nomadland like a mournful, sublime poem.,The beauty of the terrain contrasts with the harshness of life on the road,,where a punctured tyre in a remote location can mean death.,The film, adapted by Zhao from the meticulously reported book with the same name by Jessica Bruder,,asks us to reconsider our notions  of comfort and home.,Fern has the choice to live in a house with a bathroom and running water.,But each time that option is offered to her, she walks away, returning to the freedom and splendid isolation of the road.,Fern, like many of the other van dwellers we meet, refuses to submit to, as one character puts it, ‘the tyranny of the dollar.’,Free of a physical house and belongings, she goes where her instincts take her.,Nomadland stars Frances McDormand who acts alongside real-life nomads,who were featured in Bruder’s book, who play themselves.,McDormand, of course, is an Oscar-winning, globally recognised actor,but there isn’t a moment when she seems to be out of sync with the others.,She has a masterful control over expression and does a lot, while doing very little.,Early on, as Fern goes through her things trying to figure out what to take with her,,she comes across her husband’s jacket.,She momentarily pauses and holds it tight, almost as though shes holding him.,It’s a small gesture but it tells us all we need to know about their relationship.,There is a profound stillness and truth, both in her performance and in the film.,Fern is a fictional character.,The others – Swankie, a great nature lover;,Linda May, who plays Fern’s best friend,and Bob Wells, a sort of van dwellers guru – play themselves.,Zhao recreates the rituals of nomad life.,Van dwellers annually collect at the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous, a gathering in Arizona, led by Wells.,They chase seasonal employment. Their lives might not have structure but they have rhythms.,And most importantly, they have relationships that thrive in the rootlessness.,In one of the film’s best scenes, Bob tells Fern that their lifestyle might make connections tenuous,but inevitably, paths cross again. So there are no final goodbyes.,His parting line always is – see you down the road.,Nomadland works at many levels.,It’s an unvarnished portrait of the horrors of the market economy,but also an exhortation to live more keenly, to feel more and to own less.,Fern’s job at Amazon, where shes packing  these goods to ship to customers,contrasts with scenes of van dwellers simply giving away or trading what they don’t need.,Downsizing is a virtue.,Nomadland won the Golden Lion, the top prize  at last year’s Venice Film Festival.,It also got six Oscar nominations, including Best Cinematography for Joshua James Richards,and Best Picture, Director, Editor  and Adapted Screenplay for Zhao.,This is a film you want to see, preferably on the largest screen you can find,,so you can take in the stark beauty of the wide shots,and the way the light caresses the creases on Fern’s face.,If you’re going to a theatre,  do remember to wear a mask.