Written By: Lili Wang
Nomadland, directed by Chloé Zhao, explores the lives of modern
American nomads who travel across the country in search of seasonal
work and a sense of purpose. The film won multiple major awards at the
2021 Oscars, the Golden Globes, and the Venice Film Festival. Zhao
became the first Chinese-born female director to win the Academy Award
for Best Director for this film.
In 2011, due to declining demand for sheetrock, the U.S. Gypsum
plant in Empire, Nevada shut down after 88 years of operation. When the
factory closed, the town essentially disappeared, and even its ZIP code
was discontinued. After her husband’s death, the main character, Fern,
who had spent most of her life in this small town, was forced to leave. She
packed her few belongings into a converted van and began traveling
across the American West. However, this is not a romantic road-trip story.
Fern takes temporary jobs to survive. Along the way, she meets other
nomads, forms friendships, and experiences both hardship and moving
moments. Through her journey, the film explores themes of loss, belonging,
home, and the road, and the meaning of life.
The film uses a documentary style, blending fiction and real life. It
features only two professional actors to play Fern and Dave, and the others
are real nomads and non-professional actors. This approach makes the
film feel more real and natural. The camera style is simple and natural,
often using handheld shots and natural light. This creates a calm and real
feeling, showing both the beauty of nature and how small the characters
are. The handheld camera feels like the human eye, so the audience does
not feel the camera’s presence. The film primarily uses natural light, relying
on sources such as sunlight, moonlight, and campfires to shape the
atmosphere through shifting light and shadow. For example, in scenes
inside the van, light coming through the windows highlights Fern’s
loneliness and struggle. These techniques make it hard to tell the
difference between fiction and documentary. The audience feels like they
are watching real life instead of a planned story. The film also shifts
between close-up shots and wide shots. Wide shots show large
landscapes, while close-ups show faces and small details. The use of
frames, such as car windows, doorways, and the tight space inside the van,
adds deeper meaning and guides the viewer’s attention. This contrast
shows the relationship between the characters and their environment and
reflects the idea of having “no place to belong.”
The film shows how people deal with loss. Fern experiences many
losses in her life, including her husband, her home, her town, and her
community. Birth, aging, illness, and death are all parts of life, and even
when life takes things away, people must keep going. One way people
cope is by talking and sharing their stories. At the campground, Fern meets
other nomads who talk about their struggles, such as trauma, illness, and
the loss of loved ones. Fern also meets Swankie, a 75-year-old nomad.
While cutting her hair, Fern talks for the first time about her husband’s final
days. She says she could not give him more morphine because she could
not let him go, even though it might have eased his pain. Swankie gently
tells her that her husband probably did not want to leave her either, and
that she took good care of him. This moment shows deep understanding
and emotional support. Besides talking, people also deal with loss through
memory. Fern stays in her hometown after her husband’s death, because
she feels leaving would feel like losing him completely. Later, she looks at
old photos and reflects on their shared life. In addition, people also deal
with loss through simple rituals, which help them process grief. When
Swankie dies, her friends gather around a campfire and throw her favorite
stones into the fire to remember her.
The film also explores themes of relationships and belonging.
Humans naturally seek connection, and few people can live entirely alone.
When old relationships are lost, new ones gradually form. When Fern first
began her journey, she was alone, but her experiences on the road brought
her new relationships and new ways of living. As she traveled, she
gradually allowed herself to join new groups and form new bonds. She
became close friends with Linda May. She discussed politics, shared
conversations, experiences, and exchanged items and skills with other
nomads. She also spent time with Dave, who cared for her, going to see
alligators, watching pythons, and looking at dinosaur exhibits at night. From
keeping her distance at the beginning to eventually integrating into the
nomadic community, Fern slowly found a sense of belonging.
This film redefines the idea of “home”. While working at a store, Fern
is asked by a former student’s daughter if she is homeless. Fern replies,
“I’m not homeless. I just don’t have a house.” For her, home is no longer a
fixed place like a house or a town. Instead, her van becomes her home.
The film shows that for nomads, home is not just a physical place, but
something found in memories, in nature, and human connections. The film
repeatedly shows images of Fern driving on the road, and the highway
becomes an important part of her life. The journey gives her freedom, but it
also brings uncertainty. In this way, the road represents both escape and
discovery, showing that life is constantly changing. Thus, the road
becomes a metaphor for life itself, a place of escape, discovery, and
constant change.
As we watch the film, we may ask: when everything in life becomes
uncertain, what can people rely on? The film offers an answer to this
question. When material stability, such as jobs, housing, or social systems,
breaks down, people can rely on their inner strength, their ability to adapt,
and their connections with others. Even temporary relationships can
provide emotional support and a sense of belonging. Overall, Nomadland
reveals human resilience and the ability to keep moving forward in
uncertain times, finding meaning even in life’s impermanence.