The Land of Nomads won 3 major Oscars. This is why she is so good

Simple but very emotional story

The idea of the painting was suggested by Francis McDormand after reading Jessica Bruder's non-fiction book "The Land of the Nomads: Surviving America in the 21st Century." The actress decided to act as a producer and she herself played the main role. And this is the first advantage of this unusual work: the authors took the basis of the story from reality - all that remains is to add a storyline to it and present it more artistically. And therefore, the choice of Chloe Zhao for the role of director is the second important plus.

In her previous works, she already strived for maximum realism, often filming non-professionals and reliable locations. Songs That My Brothers Taught Me was about the Indian Reservation, and The Rider was about rodeo. In both cases, the director showed real people playing themselves. But at the same time, Zhao every time delivers the plot artistically, turning an almost documentary narration into elegant and philosophical parables.

What is the story of these three extraordinary and talented women? At first glance, it seems that almost nothing. In the center of the plot is an elderly Fern (Frances McDormand). Once she lost her husband, and her city of Empire, after the closure of a large enterprise, practically died out.

And then Fern decided to settle in a mobile home, affectionately nicknamed him "Vanguard", and go on an endless journey across the United States. On the way, she meets many other nomads, learns to live and survive on the road, finds rare part-time jobs and looks at the world in a way that a person who settled in one place cannot do.

A scene from the film "The Land of the Nomads"

It would seem that this is all. What can you catch in such an everyday story about the poor stratum of the population, which even in the USA is called white trash? The point is that the authors made the plot not a story of survival or loss. On the contrary, "The Land of the Nomads" talks about freedom. The fact that the world is much wider than many see it. And to some extent, declassed wanderers, who seem to have no place in ordinary society, just push the framework of perception.

Road movie vice versa

Pictures in which the heroes travel around the country are an integral part of American cinema. This follows logically from the very history of the settlement of the United States. Therefore, at first, the real stories of vagabonds and nomads turned into Western culture, and later reborn in the days of hippies and beatniks.

But Zhao does not continue the traditions of this genre. She seems to turn him inside out. First, the road movie remained a "male" movie for many years: purposeful males like Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider set off, and the girls for them turned out to be, if not just another adventure, then the final reward. Exceptions in the Thelma & Louise style were rare, but still emphasized the fragility of the heroines in the cruel world of the roads.

Fern appears in the "Land of the Nomads". Not a sexy beauty who will have to fend off fans, but an old and tired woman who has lost almost everything. But it is interesting that for the heroine of the trip it is not a forced measure, but a philosophy associated with freedom. Yes, in the past, this was the case. But at some point it turns out that they can give her shelter, but Fern herself does not want it.

Therefore, Zhao's work looks "wrong", but the most sincere road movie. The heroine does not strive for something specific and does not look for a home for herself, as is the case in most stories about nomads. Bringing the plot to a happy ending, settling her with her family, would be as simple as it is unnatural for the spirit of this parable.

Shot from the film "The Land of the Nomads"

The film's philosophy is best defined by the hard-to-translate phrase I’m not homeless, I’m houseless. That is, Fern and her new friends do not have a home as a direct building. But at the same time, they have already found the same "home". It's just bigger than everyone else.

Francis McDormand and real travelers

Of course, a significant part of the narrative is based on the main character. And two-time Oscar winner Francis McDormand is one of the main advantages of the "Land of the Nomads".

This actress, from her first high-profile roles, seemed to be called upon to destroy stereotypes. In the distant 90s, the Coen brothers specially wrote for her the heroine Marge in the legendary "Fargo". They presented to the audience not a brutal sheriff who instills fear in any villains, but a pregnant, not too smart police officer.

Indeed, in reality, it is precisely such people who follow the law: simple, lively, with shortcomings. Then McDormand just entered the frame and seemed not to play a role, but lived on the screen, not allowing the viewer to doubt the veracity of the character for a second.

The second wave of popularity and the second award from academics came to the actress after the film "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" by Martin McDonagh. And again McDormand reincarnated as her heroine, strongly reminiscent of the aged, broken and embittered Marge from "Fargo".

"Land of the Nomads" completes a non-existent trilogy. The new heroine of the actress is even more realistic and lively. You can even imagine that this is still the same woman, simply already completely deprived of everything.

Francis McDormand again plays in semitones - for example, a slight smile, almost out of place flickering during the dialogue. Or even completely silent, but this silence speaks more than words. By this, she emphasizes that the character's life is not brightly dramatic: there are no battles and chases in it, but there is only an internal struggle, which she skillfully hides. People who are used to spending a lot of time alone rarely flaunt their feelings.

This is how any real Fern would behave if she was caught in the frame by documentary Zhao. Although it is even difficult to say how much McDormand has to play. To immerse herself in the role, the actress really got a job on small side jobs like an order picker on an assembly line or a cashier.

And the rest of the characters in the film are also important. Almost everyone Fern meets is real American nomads playing themselves. Chloe Zhao does not give up her own style, even when working with the stars.

So, the gray-bearded Bob Wells, who delivers an amazing monologue about the endlessness of the road, is one of the founders and ideologists of the Homes on Wheels Alliance, which helps the poor to buy mobile homes. All he says is complete improvisation and his own thoughts.

And the fact that McDormand looks completely organic in the midst of real tramps says a lot about the actress's talent. She really lives this role.

Little heroes in a big world

Still, it is worth explaining why an American film is so important not only for the United States, but also for Russia, Europe and any other countries. The "Land of the Nomads" speaks about this not in text, but rather in visual terms. From one of the first scenes in which the main character relieves herself (a kind of shock therapy for aesthetes) against the backdrop of an endless plain and stunningly beautiful mountains, the picture makes you feel how insignificant the heroes feel.

These emotions will remain the leitmotif of the story. Fern is constantly on the background of something disproportionately large: fields, sea, hills. She even works for Amazon, a giant corporation whose scale is beyond the reach of the average employee.

Joshua James Richards - Zhao's regular cameraman - knows how to show landscapes not only beautifully, but touching and bewitching. Against the background of incredible sunsets in the endless sky, the loneliness of the heroine is even more felt, emphasized by the minimalist music of Ludovico Einaudi. The deserted void, which has become a symbol of quarantine in 2020, seems to hint at the decline of civilization. Or, perhaps, for her future rebirth.

Indeed, in small spaces during meetings with other travelers, Fern, and the rest of the characters, seems larger. And it’s not just about the size of the plans. From these people, these loneliness, which do not change each other's lives, but only help for a short moment, a society is formed.

And this is, perhaps, the main thing that the film tells about and what is important anywhere in the world. Each person may seem insignificant to himself. But in sum, all these people, albeit poor nomads, create something big and important - the world itself.

Their homes are not crumbling vans with a bucket instead of a toilet, but the whole country. They have countless friends at every parking lot. They have the best view from the window. And endless prospects in life - to the very horizon.

An important advantage of "The Land of the Nomads" is that it is a very simple and understandable film. This is a completely original work, which, as expected, was promoted at festivals. But ordinary viewers who are not too versed in complex subtexts can also enjoy the picture.

This is a very beautifully filmed nature, incredibly touching Francis McDormand and the most vivid narrative, in some elements of which literally everyone can find something of their own.