One day, some time ago, I thought about IMDb and realized that one could likely write most anything in this review space as long as it wasn't offensive - except to the intellect... I find it hard to believe that there is an actual human being, on IMDb's payroll, who checks the countless poorly written ramblings on offer here. (But in that case, hi to you, Tom or Kathy, hope your day is going well. I love this site. And let me ensure you, there is nothing inappropriate in this text. Aside from some inconsequential ramblings, if you'll forgive me.)
So, it's a Thursday night in 2021, and I'm at home, alone, bored, depressed and desperate. Thinking about life, which in my case seems to mean movies a lot of the time. But something has changed. I don't go to the movies anymore. It's weird, because for about 20 years I did. A 100 times a year. I love movies, with a passion. Still do, I guess. But, they have changed, or so I feel. They've become even more of an amusement park ride than they already were. And the change into digital image capturing has killed something within the art. Some level of expression and...craftsmanship, perhaps? Movies don't feel like films anymore. The flicker is gone, and I miss it. The cinemas have also changed and turned into living rooms and diners. Going to the movies these days makes me feel older than I am.
But I did see "Nomadland". It's a somber and sober drama with some actors who feel like real actors and not stars, and one can sense, that somebody was behind the camera actually thinking about the directorial choices. Watching "Nomadland" feels like you're in conversation with a mature person, who's taken a look at this world of ours and has something to tell us about it.
"Nomadland" is a story of, or a look at, a good woman who, like me, doesn't feel as old as the candles on a birthday cake say she is, but is already of no use to this world. Her existence is pointless - to everyone but herself. So, she turns to the nomad lifestyle, drifting from a temporary job to another. At Christmas time, she does seasonal work at a warehouse for Amazon, a real life E-Corp, which should be dismantled immediately. It's a horrifying world we live in.
The events in "Nomadland" actually take place 10 years ago, and the desperation has only grown since. In this context, Frances McDormand's character seems almost like a symbol of a free spirit caged in a soulless, man-made reality. Genuine human interaction is almost impossible, all you have is you...and your mobile home of sorts.
I don't know. "Nomadland" is a fine movie. But I'm not sure if it teaches us anything, in the end. Or, rather, it does, but the question is, what can we do with the wisdom that it offers to us? We can merely relate and accept. Or not. "Nomadland" gives us an opportunity to be away from home for a couple of hours, and then return. None the wiser, but perhaps bothered by the meaninglessness of it all.
On some random Thursday night, at least. In coming days and years there'll be other movies, and then other movies and so on and so on. And the silver screen looks more and more like the desert in "Nomadland".
So, it's a Thursday night in 2021, and I'm at home, alone, bored, depressed and desperate. Thinking about life, which in my case seems to mean movies a lot of the time. But something has changed. I don't go to the movies anymore. It's weird, because for about 20 years I did. A 100 times a year. I love movies, with a passion. Still do, I guess. But, they have changed, or so I feel. They've become even more of an amusement park ride than they already were. And the change into digital image capturing has killed something within the art. Some level of expression and...craftsmanship, perhaps? Movies don't feel like films anymore. The flicker is gone, and I miss it. The cinemas have also changed and turned into living rooms and diners. Going to the movies these days makes me feel older than I am.
But I did see "Nomadland". It's a somber and sober drama with some actors who feel like real actors and not stars, and one can sense, that somebody was behind the camera actually thinking about the directorial choices. Watching "Nomadland" feels like you're in conversation with a mature person, who's taken a look at this world of ours and has something to tell us about it.
"Nomadland" is a story of, or a look at, a good woman who, like me, doesn't feel as old as the candles on a birthday cake say she is, but is already of no use to this world. Her existence is pointless - to everyone but herself. So, she turns to the nomad lifestyle, drifting from a temporary job to another. At Christmas time, she does seasonal work at a warehouse for Amazon, a real life E-Corp, which should be dismantled immediately. It's a horrifying world we live in.
The events in "Nomadland" actually take place 10 years ago, and the desperation has only grown since. In this context, Frances McDormand's character seems almost like a symbol of a free spirit caged in a soulless, man-made reality. Genuine human interaction is almost impossible, all you have is you...and your mobile home of sorts.
I don't know. "Nomadland" is a fine movie. But I'm not sure if it teaches us anything, in the end. Or, rather, it does, but the question is, what can we do with the wisdom that it offers to us? We can merely relate and accept. Or not. "Nomadland" gives us an opportunity to be away from home for a couple of hours, and then return. None the wiser, but perhaps bothered by the meaninglessness of it all.
On some random Thursday night, at least. In coming days and years there'll be other movies, and then other movies and so on and so on. And the silver screen looks more and more like the desert in "Nomadland".
Tell Your Friends