Finally! For the first time since last September and just the second time since March 2020, I have seen a film at the cinema.
Deciding not to fork out for yet another streaming service (Disney +), I have waited for cinemas to re-open to see this year winner of the Best Picture Oscar, Nomadland. It felt slightly strange doing something that for 35 years or more, I had been used to doing two or three times a week! But it also felt comforting, like things are edging back to normal. Choosing at 11am showing on a Wednesday also meant that the cinema was pretty quiet.
As well as the best film award at the Oscars, Frances McDormand picked up her third statuette for best actress. She stars as Fern, a woman recovering from both the death of her husband and also her town when the local factory, that employs just about the entire population, closes down. She buys a van and takes to the road, taking on casual work and meeting others leading a similar nomadic lifestyle.
It turns out that I made the right choice, as it is a film that deserves to be seen in a cinema. Not only to enjoy Joshua James Richards capturing of the stunning landscapes that Fern inhabits on a big screen but also because it is a film of quiet beauty that I became totally immersed in without any of the many distractions that can be found at home.
Chloé Zhao does a remarkable job in writing a screenplay that is moving, funny and very real without being sentimental or looking for big redemptive moments. She also directs with warmth and clarity. Of course McDormand is great – though I would still have liked to see Carey Mulligan win an overdue first Oscar – as is David Strathairn as Dave, a man she befriends. However, it is a couple of non-actors in supporting roles that give really incredible portrayals, both especially in key scenes. Bob Wells as Bob, talking about his deceased son, and Charlene Swankie – as Swankie – explaining how much of a full life she has had.
I cannot find much fault with this film apart from a slight lull when the story concentrates more on Fern and Dave rather than Fern and the other nomads. That is a very small quibble though with a marvellous movie.
Rating: 9 out of 10