Caro’s choice: Nomadland – 20 minutes
- The Golden Lion in Venice and three Oscars: “Nomadland” seduced by its humanity and its beauty.
- Actress Frances McDormand and director Chloé Zhao follow “nomads” in motorhomes going from camp to camp.
- This excellent film shows the United States as it is rarely seen by tourists.
Nomadland by Chloé Zhao is not just a “crush”. It is a great film awarded, among others, by the Golden Lion in Venice and three Oscars (film, filmmaker and actress).
The director of Songs my brothers taught me and The Rider closes its trilogy around America’s left behind with the help of Frances Mc Dormand. And the actress, already Oscar winner for Fargo the Coen brothers in 1997 and 3 Billboards by Martin McDonagh in 2018, did not steal his third statuette.
Frances McDormand more than “relevant”
The actress is bursting with humanity to play a sexagenarian forced to live in a camper van after her city disappeared due to the subprime crisis. “I am not homeless, but homeless,” this courageous woman explains to a former student in the film.
Frances McDormand responds to real “nomads” who will help her integrate into the community. These beings go from camp to camp crossing the United States as did the pioneers of ancient times. For this road movie which reveals an America that tourists do not know, “my first reaction was to ask Chloe if she thought I would be relevant”, confides the star to the New York Times in one of his rare interviews. Better than that: she’s shattering in the skin of a woman who makes good fortune against her fortune by pretending to be free when she has been kicked out by her creditors.
Chloé Zhao and Frances McDormand have found the perfect tone to dive into the heart of landscapes sublimely highlighted by Joshua james richards as deep in the souls of women and men to whom we too rarely give a voice. Taking the time to watch and listen to them does a lot of good.