Why Nomadland Will Win Best Picture
'Tis the week before the Oscars, and 8 films are ramping up their campaigns in a last-minute push for the top prize of them all, Best Picture. The biggest award has the potential to be either one of the most anticlimactic or most surprising result in recent years. The former is true, because really only two films have won any of the prizes on the awards circuit, and one of those [Chloe Zhao's Nomadland] is a notable step ahead in the sweepstakes. However, neither frontrunner is a traditional winner, nor is without controversy; those facts, as well as the Oscars' less predictable preferential voting system means that no nominee can be counted out of the race. Spotlight's and Moonlight's upsets in 2016 and 2017, and Parasite's stunner last year taught us to expect the unexpected, so we're here to give fans of all 8 nominees reason to believe on Sunday.
Nomadland is the presumptive favorite for Best Picture at the 2021 Academy Awards. Based on a book by the same name by Jessica Bruner, Nomadland follows a woman named Fern (played by the masterful Frances McDormand) displaced from a now-defunct company town in Nevada by the effects of the 2008 Financial Crisis and the impact it had on her and so many people who have chosen to live a nomadic lifestyle in the American Southwest.
But why is Nomadland the favorite? Did the Covid-ravaged box office lead to a weak crop of contenders, or would Nomadland have pushed through regardless of the circumstances?
Director Chloé Zhao has always done an incredible job of telling truly human stories. Her previous films Songs My Brother Taught Me and The Rider are intimate portraits of an America that are never quite in the limelight. And so too does Nomadland unearth the very human realities of those who have sought solace in a nomadic lifestyle in the freedom of the American Southwest.
Nomadland is a more polished version of Zhao’s previous works, placing well-known actors Frances McDormand and David Strathairn in prominent roles. Yet Zhao still relies on real people to tell their story in an “elevated documentary” style. Linda May pops back up multiple times as one of Fern’s close friends in the community, telling the heartbreaking story of her attempted suicide. Fern also meets Bob Wells, famed founder of the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous, featured in the film, who shares his story of loss to her in a truly touching scene.
Zhao and her cinematographer Joshua James Richards capture the film in a very documentary-like style, similar to Songs My Brother Taught Me and The Rider, yet all three are distinctly narrative in nature. This creates a blurring of lines and a more emotional connection. We get to live with Fern - experiencing her triumphs, as well as her cold nights alone in a van outside of a gas station. It’s this unique way of storytelling that sets Nomadland apart from the other, more traditional, Best Picture nominees.
As part of the usual Oscar backlash cycle, the film has received some criticism for its portrayal of online retail behemoth Amazon and the refusal to view Amazon in a critical light. Yet Amazon and the season work that people like Fern and Linda May do is a reality of the situation that people find themselves in. There is no room for moral judgement, when corporate interests and labor practices aren’t the focus of such an intimate film.
While there are other incredibly strong contenders for Best Picture this year, Nomadland has positioned itself as a heavy favorite because of the connection it creates with audiences, and the response it elicits. Fern’s grieving process is on full display, and her coping is not always pretty. But Zhao and McDormand work together to create a stunning portrait of a community that connects on many levels and is deserving of Best Picture.
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