Nomadland

Not the first time I can't appreciate an Oscar winning film. Personally, I have a soft spot in my heart for nomads, but that's not the point. Because Nomadland comes across as a documentary at times, it forced me to form an opinion about things that have nothing to do with the film. Cinematically, it's perfect by all accounts. Breathtaking shots of nature, sensitively portrayed loneliness and longing at the same time, very nice music, sound, editing. Beautiful, but unfortunately I can’t help at least partly judging how I like the specific way these people live, what they do and say, and so on. And that inevitably plays into my overall impression of the film. But the determination to go against the grain is beautiful and in its own way uplifting. So is the appreciation of nature and putting people above real estate. (25.06.2021)

An empathetically constructed carefree romp where everyone can find themselves at different spots. A little melancholic, a little contemplative, lots of thinking about death and the futility of human effort. And even though everything has already been more or less successfully explored in other independent works of self-discovery, Frances McDormand is so down-to-earth and "yours" that you have no defense, and with every solitary sunrise, she pricks your heart a little bit again. (26.03.2021)

American Film Academy awards have undergone significant changes in preferences over their long existence, which led to winning Oscars. There were times when Hollywood focused on major dramas about fundamental social issues and then times when studios preferred lavishly produced spectacles with significant commercial potential. Regardless of any trends that spread, the enduring notion of film fans about a winning Oscar film is directed towards an unmissable, visually appealing title that ideally has a societal impact and contains elements of higher culture. Simply put, it should be the film event of the year that can be used as advertising for the film industry and presented as a challenge to visit the movie theater. Nomadland fulfills none of that. I dare say that if Hollywood let a similar type of film win for another two or three years, it would condemn the Oscars competition to insignificance. The problem with the film does not lie in its intimate nature, and only partially in the fact that it lacks a significant plot. A film aimed at evoking empathy cannot function well if it is based on a distant, emotionally inaccessible protagonist who does not want or cannot live in a community, and establish and maintain new social relationships. The fundamental problem with Fern is not the death of her husband or her social poverty (she wasted more than a promising chance to start over), but the character's disposition. If my favorite Frances McDormand was not playing the main role, I would seriously consider giving it only two stars. Overall impression: 55%. (07.08.2021)

A fragile, subtle social drama that resonated with me in a similar way as its indie brother The Florida Project did years ago, which I actually found more distinctive and more interesting. But even so, I had no problem empathising with Fren's nomadic fate and sometimes, in my late fifties, when everything at work pisses me off, I'd pick everything up and move to Kořenov in the Jizera Mountains, in the middle of beautiful nature :o) I really envied her unbridled freedom sometimes, and the nice people around her, you don’t get that in our country. Still, I have a nagging feeling that the Oscar buzz around this film is a testament to how poor last year was cinematically. In other times, in fatter years, Chloé Zhao would have collected awards only at Sundance, but now she can dream of golden baldies in her covid nightmare. (10.03.2021)

Nomandland has come out of the festival circuit with the reputation of one of the best films of the year and a clear Oscar favourite, something that may generate expectations impossible to meet for some people. For me, it’s a very decent drama with a superb Frances McDormand, but I can’t say it stands out in any significant way from many other decent dramas. On the other hand, it’s clear that, in terms of social relevance, it will surely resonate more in the US than here. 7/10 (19.01.2021)