Page 7 - MidWeek - March 17, 2021

MARCH 17, 2021 MIDWEEK 7
Rotten
Wandering In Middle America
BY CHRIS MCKINNEY
PAPAYAS
I’ve never been to the American Southwest. Except for one layover in Chicago, I’ ve never been to the Midwest. Basically, the only exposure I’ve had to the Midwest or Southwest comes from Willa Cather, Toni Morrison, AP U.S. History, Breaking Bad and the one time I binged Aerial America on the Smithsonian Channel.
an Amazon warehouse, then joins a community of fellow nomads who winter in Arizo- na every year. After failing to find post-winter work in Ari- zona, she hits the road again and finds herself in another nomad camp in South Da- kota. Throughout the movie, Fern remains, by choice, on a permanent road trip.
of human kindness among the tough-as-nails nomads.
Nomadland, which just won Best Motion Picture at the Golden Globes, is deep- ly embedded in these unfa- miliar (to me) American re- gions. Frances McDormand plays Fern, a woman in her 60s whose husband died of cancer and whose hometown died of the Great Recession. All that she has left is her van and a few cherished posses- sions. Fern takes to the road, does some seasonal work at
It’s rare for a movie to be several conflicting things at once, but that’s what Nomad- land is. It’s bleak yet hopeful, ugly yet beautiful. It’s heart- breaking and heartwarming. These modern-day nomadic characters who live in their vans and RVs are trapped by severe financial limitations, yet they’re free and dignified at the same time. There are only two constants in this film: McDormand, who is amazing throughout, and the displays
Based on a 2017 piece of nonfiction, these are charac- ters based on real individuals who live alone on the road, yet they’ re some of the most neighborly people around. In an age when slick cyni- cism saturates entertainment, Nomadland is refreshing. It’s quiet. It’s simple. It never shoots for plot twist trickery. And the film reminds its view- ers that the world isn’t just populated by loudmouths and jerks. It’s populated by resil- ient, nice and genuinely good people, too. Tough and kind are not mutually exclusive.
Frances McDormand stars in Nomadland, the film that took home Best Motion Picture at this year’s Golden Globes. SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES VIA AP
At its core, Nomadland is also a story about how a wom- an decides to go on after she’s lost everything. It’s about the pensive search for meaning as one ages alone. It captures
the monotony of everyday existence and seamlessly con- joins it with brief moments of tragedy, beauty and human connection. It’s life. McDor- mand and director Chloé Zhao convey all of this complexity with astonishing skill.
Nomadland doesn’t ex- actly motivate me to book a ticket to places like Arizona or South Dakota today. But the landscapes are gorgeous, and the movie makes this Hawai‘i boy feel less trepi- datious about visiting Mid-
dle America one day. I really enjoyed watching this film and wish there were more out there like it.
Nomadland is available on Hulu.
chrismckinney808@gmail.com
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