Nomadland is about itinerant workers in America. Directed by ChloƩ Zhao. It won 3 Oscars.
The style resembles the British masterpiece, Kes. Few actual actors with the majority of the cast being real life people and the script seemed very loose. The use of steadycam gives it a documentary feel.
The lack of a real soundtrack makes it quite hard going. A little Einaudi early on but little after that and at one point I played Divenire independently so I basically seasoned my own chips.
Vaguely unsettling it never tries to paint the lifestyle as free or noble but as a daily grind to be got through rather than cherished. There are few highs and many lows.
Although she won an Academy Award I found it difficult to judge the performance of the lead actress Frances McDormand as she's mainly reacting to real people telling real stories.
Interestingly the film and its awards success has been greeted in China with frosty suspicion. Zhao is Chinese. No doubt the Chinese authorities are worried and with good reason. If she can make such a thoughtful and sensitive movie about a culture so far from her own roots what might she do if she turned her attention to one of the many many issues that China tries to sweep under the carpet.