A character in a Bob Dylan song is described as ‘always on the outside of whatever side there was’. That fits Fern who is the central character of Nomadland. From bits and pieces gathered through the film we get a picture of a life that was ‘always on the outside’ from the earliest years, always willing to kick over the traces. So when in her early sixties she finds herself widowed, unemployed and the community around her evaporating she takes to the road and becomes part of a new community of people perpetually on the move. These are the ‘nomads’ who live in vans, park in designated places and live on seasonal work.
The movie has a slow paced documentary style enhanced by the inclusion of real-life nomads. We are very much the observers as Fern makes new friends, finds work and struggles with her ageing ‘rig’. It’s the latter challenge that creates a tension for Fern that is never resolved. If she is to keep her rig on the road she needs a large sum of money. She asks her sister who is wealthy, enjoys a privileged lifestyle, whose husband is involved is business which Fern considers less than honourable. They are part of the ‘system’ Fern wants no part of and yet she remains dependant on their generosity. She promises to pay back but you wonder how.
It’s the hook many of us wriggle on. There is so much that is wrong in the world and while we hold fast to a vision of the way it should be, it is not going to change any time soon. In the meantime, we make the changes we can and live with the compromises we have to make.
Fern is hardly off the screen and Frances McDormand carries her well. She combines the edginess, vulnerability and warmth that make for an arresting character and leaves you hoping that while there will always be people on the outside they will have an impact on the rest of us for the better.
