'NOMADLAND'....THE LONLINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE AMERICANS.....

 Nomadland (2020)     Watching Terence Malick's 1973 "Badlands" and last years "Let Him Go" led us to dreamily, fondly look back on 1970's cinema.......when creative, daring, fresh young filmmakers challenged audiences with films that defied categorization.

                Here's another such movie........subtle, contemplative, gorgeous to look  and guaranteed to make to you remember and think about it long after you've seen it. 

                Its subject couldn't be more immediate.......the crumbling of the institutions and structures of American society that were once thought of as inviolate  Home, family, a lifetime of rewarding work.....all of those things, for many people and for many reasons, gone forever.  And leaving those affected, those who've fallen through the economic and social cracks, to wander the country like frontier explorers, searching for what's over the next hill, what's next down the road.

              Joining these sad homegrown American nomads is Fern (the always amazing Frances McDormand), a widowed resident of a once thriving corporate town that's closed up and disappeared, even its zip code discontinued.

               With no husband, job, friends or community left to for support, Fran takes to the road, living out of her van and picking up wages wherever there's temporary work, such a vast Amazon warehouse during the Christmas season. 

               It's a staggeringly spartan, solitary existence, except for the moments when Fern can bond with the ragtag community of fellow wanderers.

               We almost can't find the words to describe how haunting and hurtful this film is to watch. It's a story told in long silences, stunning landscapes and individual scenes of quiet grace. 

               There's only one other professional actor in the cast with McDormand, David Strathairn.....they seamlessly interact with the real life cast of actual nomadic travelers. .

               And it's a tribute to the skill of these actors that not once do you ever catch them 'acting'......they blend right in to the documentary-style storytelling.

                McDormand especially creates a character so carved out of reality that you can only marvel at her work here. Hands down, it's the best performance you'll see from an actress in this or any other year. 

                 Make sure to catch up with this one soon. A five star (*****) FIND OF FINDS.