What a crock. Find something else other than film critique. This doesn't work for you.

I am a moderately poor person, and I didn't think anything about poverty issues watching Nomadland. It addressed more the identity and emotional issues we face moving into old womanhood.

As a van dweller, I hope my friends and family see this film. I want them to think I'm somewhere in the desert finding myself rather than drinking myself to sleep out front of the place I work.

It is not a documentary about homelessness. It's about grief and searching for meaning and connection after traumatic loss.

Your Disney conspiracy theory is very coincidental because Chloe Zhao gave a shoutout to ‘The Avengers’ in ‘NomadLand’ 😅.

This movie was sponsored by your local amazon fulfillment centre

13:02 In Brazil there was a big debate about if City of God was making the violence in the favelas aesthetical, since Fernando Meirelles (the director) was a very successful business man in the TV Comercial industry. There is a whole article on the subject called "Cosmetic of Hunger", which a lot of cinephiles from Brazil like to study. I honestly think it handles well its brutalness, but a lot of other people in the country don't see it the same way.

As a 73 year old man living on social security, I am grateful to Bob Wells of Cheap RV Living KZfaq channel that has shown me the way to live in my 16 ft cargo trailer and enjoy my life by connecting to fellow nomads. My fear was that "Nomadland" was going to make people think it was like Disneyland. The book is much truer picture of nomad life.

This reminds me of the song Common People by Pulp. Hardly anybody in Hollywood knows what it's like to be genuinely poor

I believe it was Tina Fey that said, The Oscars are a bunch of millionaires gathering to discuss the evils of capitalism.

I watched this movie with my mom. While I've never been a so called nomad, a.k.a. homeless, I've been working the same jobs Fern has in the movie. I actually worked in an Amazon center much like the one in the movie, and I can say that it's definitely a lot more dreary and alienating than the movie portrays. Being a young person working those jobs with a decaying future ahead of me probably gave me a different perspective of the film than my mom. Where I saw so many people working minimum to low wage jobs just to make ends meet, my mom saw a story about old people trying to live the last days of their life as free as they could. I can't discount her interpretation of the film; whether rich or poor, death claims us all eventually, and sooner or later we have to face the music. For me, however, it was far more bleaker, and I was honestly more surprised that a lot of the hardships faced by homeless people weren't discussed in the movie. The scene where David had to go and have surgery had me on the edge of my seat, waiting for the doctor to tell him that his treatment would bankrupt him without healthcare, but it never came. He was in the hospital one scene, and in the van the next, seemingly not worse for wear. It's hard for me to say how I feel about the movie, because my mom clearly got so much out of it, but I'm not sure if it's because she actually sympathizes with the plight of the homeless or just thinks the nomad lifestyle is something she wants to spend her final days doing.

The movie is about losing your loved ones.Poverty is a setback.Where can you turn to when things go wrong? Family. And some people have a big family. But many people don't. And this is portrayed beautifully.And makes you think how love can be so healing. And how lonely you can feel if the people you love most, die.Losing a kid is the worst thing in life. Poverty is nothing for that man in the movie. For me, the people we love is our greatest fortune.A fortune that we all loose when our parents die no matter how poor or rich you are. Fern says it at the end. She was happy in that small ugly house, in the middle of nowhere because her husband was happy.

Did we watch the same film?! I’ve just watched it and it left me feeling an uncomfortable sense of desolation and loneliness. She’s shitting in her van and there’s loads of talk of suicide. It didn’t come across to me as a sanitised glamorised film about someone finding themselves at all, it felt like someone hanging on with the wolves for chaos coming

I wish I was poor, you know, for the A E S T H E T I C

Being a nomad...I love me some Nomadland. But the problem people have connecting with this movie is that they think it's about poor people living in vans...but it's actually not. It's, somewhat, about people who were forced into vanlife by poverty or the threat of poverty (like refusing to be broke by paying 60% of their income on living expenses) but they then stayed in the lifestyle even after their financial situation got better because they found that they loved it so much. A lot of people research van life before selling their home and moving into a van. To these people, gig jobs are a means to be able to live the nomadic lifestyle, they have CHOSEN to live. People can always live vanlife, statically (and temporarily until they get on their feet) while working a regular full-time job if they wanted to...never having to go from place to place, working grueling gig jobs, like Amazon or the beet harvest. Nomads work these jobs because they allow them to travel...to be real nomads. Nomadland is not about poverty or gig jobs. It's not trying to wake people up to the homeless problem or make people FEEL some type of way. It's about a woman getting back to her truth after losing everything that made her deny that truth, to begin with. It's also about people not falling into the "American Dream" trap. It took the opportunity to address the unrealistic expectations that society places upon us...via the conversation between Fern, her bother-in-law, and his friends. We're all expected to get a job, get married, buy the biggest house a lender tells us that we can afford to buy, pump out a few babies, and end up so house-poor we won't see ourselves retiring until we're 80 years old...what Bob Wells meant by workhorses. Sorry, but Nomadland is not THAT movie that everyone wants it to be. But, as a progressive, I would welcome an "in your face" woke movie that addresses poverty and homelessness...especially if it's also about the house crisis being made worse by foreign investors artificially inflating the housing market. So, someone should make THAT movie.

Rich people call it van life, poor people call if homeless...THANK YOU!!!! This is exactly what I've been saying about the trend of "van life" its romanticizing homelessness and makes it a hot trend for those who have options to those who do not. It's like the fashion designer who made clothes out of newspapers "inspired" by homeless people. Let's ignore the problem and make it trendy!

My dad was a retired engineer who worked on projects at NASA in the 60s, putting men on the moon. He retired with plenty of money but he was happier living out of a van with his dog and traveling than I ever saw him in any of the beautiful homes with pools or full of nice furniture we had growing up. I never understood it until I watched this movie.

Oof...I have so much to say 1) Let's not confuse Fern's reaction to the struggle with the struggle itself. She tries to make the best of her time at Amazon, but really that cooperation is gonna grind the workers up like hamburger. The film tells us so. 2) I liked the "real" people in the film, but that didn't make a seamless experience for me. I kept separating the "actors" from the "real" people in my mind. 3) Never thought poverty was the main tension. I thought it was Fern dealing with the ghost of her absent spouse and the future they had built together. I didn't think the film glamorized the atomization of the town. When she's walking through the factory and the unfinished homes...that was kinda like the thesis of the film for me....a simple statement of the fact that charts, graphs, and cooperate suits decided the people there were expendable...so they were sacrificed. And Fern, having invested so much in the "dream" of living that simple life with her husband, was completely untethered by the experience. There was no longer anything tangible future to work towards. 4) the scene where she walks by the wave beaten coast was over the top to me 5) I don't think the reviewer is completely wrong. Fimmakers are going to approach such subjects from a perspective of privilege.

I went into this video expecting to roll my eyes at your arguments but I actually agree with a lot of what you said. The film is disingenuous to what real American poverty looks like, and sugar coats it. Which can lead to a shallow experience. I still like the movie, but not as an exploration of real American poverty, which seems to have been its goal. Instead I see Nomadland as exploration of human grief through a romanticized nomadic lens.

The film was inaccurate in several ways. I have a co-worker who used to work at Amazon, I've read a few articles and seriously considered living in a RV myself. 1) Working at Amazon is not as nice as the movie portrayed. You have to meet strict quotas or you are immediately fired and these quotas are so strict its hard to find time for a bathroom break. The Amazon lunch table is not as clean or lively because everyone is understandably tired/stressed. 2) most people who live in Vans are not doing it for the freedom and thrill of it. They feel locked out of the housing market and are depressed/in despair, the mood of the movie was alittle to light. 3) This is not just a problem of the poor, I make 80k a year and I was considering buying and RV and parking it on a different street every night. Why would I do this? I didn't go to school all those years to live paycheck to paycheck. Apartment rents and house prices have gotten so high in recent years that even with my high wage I would be paycheck to paycheck. I tried renting rooms but I ran into alot of bad housemates/landlords lacked privacy/space and I just wasn't happy in that living situation. After a long hard search I did find a affordable condo with 40 minutes commute but I fear for future generations. I wanted to build a tiny house but most banks don't finance tiny houses and I didn't have 50-150k in cash to pay for the tiny house + land outright.

I went to see this movie largely because I live near Sedona, Arizona, where nomads, both poor and rich, are common. As a jeep tour guide, I drive past them every day, along the dirt county roads where they camp. I see old vans, converted school buses and ambulances, high-end motorhomes and fifth-wheels, military-style expedition vehicles and teched-out sprinter vans. With that in mind, I went to see the movie out of curiosity. I think NOMADLAND tries to portray a sense of freedom and liberation out of poverty... but it depressed the hell out of me. Frances McDormand splurting diarrhea into a bucket in the back of an old van is one of the few things I remember about the movie and it's not too inspiring. From what I see, there are some nomads who embrace and like the lifestyle but there seems to be a lot who are there only because they have no other options in life. It almost made me feel as if the rich were saying, "You too may forced to live this way someday soon . Learn to cope with it with some implied sense of beauty and dignity."

I don't find this movie particularly optimistic. But if you live in poverty, instead of just being someone who 'drives through it', it feels good to feel some hope, some romanticism, some softness. Being able to move around and see open spaces and nature is a lot better than being stuck in a hovel feeling dependent on the government. And, yeah, I've lost everything. The thing that makes me sick is that its the middle class overeducated kids who can live in their parents homes who are criticizing this movie.

Comparing the ending scenes from Bicycle Thieves and Nomadland really puts things in perspective. While both endings portray a sort of venture in to the cruel world, Bicycle Thieves shows that this is a systemic problem, that affects every other Italian. Nomadland paints a poetic picture of a lost soul(s) living in symbiosis with its depriviliged lifestyles and not really criticising the situation. But then again, if only us, the privilged ones, saw the film, who are we to say, what the film would mean to a poor American.

Really interesting how this movie that glorifies and romanticizes the de-industrialization of America as some sort of wholesome return to "simpler times" is directed by the daughter of Chinas largest state operated steel companies.

I wasn't super into the movie, thought it was solid. Well acted, well edited, and like you mentioned the scenes with the real nomads were the best parts. But I think the overall positivity of the film was not necessarily a bad thing, or purely a rich people trying to sanitize poverty thing. If you watch docs or just interviews on youtube of the real nomads, they do talk about the difficulties, but they also talk about the freedom that they enjoy living that lifestyle. Many of them choose to remain in that lifestyle even if they are given more traditional alternatives, simply because they enjoy it. I think the film could have done a better job illustrating that point, but I think that was the general vibe it was going for.

It’s complex. People living this life are a mixed bunch. I spent my early twenties fruit picking, travelling, staying in a tent, living on lentils and rice, very much by choice. It was very poorly paid, but I remember those years as being some of the happiest of my life. I chose the lifestyle. I agree that there are really oppressive forces and not everyone is choosing the life… but some people are. Very few people want to be seen as objects of pity, which is just another way to objectify and simplify poor people and their experiences. Life is complex. This movie reminded me of some very happy times and I am keen to return to nomad living for a time.

I'm a nomad of five years who watched this movie out in nature with other nomads, many of whom (including myself) live this way at least partially out of financial necessity. The movie didn't land with any of us. It definitely wallows in some of the darker aspects of living this way without actually exploring them and even whitewashing them, like the seasonal Amazon gigs which are pretty miserable to anyone who's ever had a decent job. I agree that it was made for the academy.

This movie was made to make people with money say, "Phew thank god that's not me."

I had that niggling feeling that I couldn't put my finger on but which you have perfectly articulated my viewing experience. Like you said the highlights were absolutely the non-actors/real nomads appearance - this is what I wanted more of thinking this should just be a documentary on these guys. Thanks for making and sharing this awesome video!

Thank you for making this. You explain my feelings about this movie really well and I'll share this if I ever get into a conversation about nomadland

I didn’t really the feeling that it was trying to make poverty look deep and romantic, the film made me feel really depressed and almost scared to end up like the people you see in the film. But I guess it depends on what parts you focus on and perhaps even your financial state.

Love your videos and thank you for your work!

your conspiracy theory could be true, I've noticed Disney trying all they can to pass marvel off as cinema... their choice of directors, the "visual aesthetic"... but their motive of making quick consumable content for the sole purpose of making money is evident. Scorsese really does live rent-free in Disney's mind.

At first I had this feeling that this movie was trying to be like Tarkovsky but them I saw Zhao's commentary on The New World. And went "oh yeah this is really just Diet Malick".

I, literally, cannot imagine what $30 chips taste like. But in my heart of hearts, I know I won't like them. As someone who has lived her entire life below the poverty line, I just don't understand why rich people fetishize it. I would give most anything to not worry about rent or when my bills will auto draft from my account. I just had a mental break down this morning after paying rent and bills.....and I have $18 left for groceries for me and my daughter and my cat. The local food pantries near me are only open when I'm at work and I cannot afford to take time off. Or I don't have gas to travel to a further away one. I cannot watch poverty porn movies. It build a visceral rage and depression that stays with me for way too long after the story has ended. Good to know, I'll steer clear of this movie. Not like I can go to a movie anyways rn

Brilliant perspective, thank you for this review. I knew the premise wasn't sitting right with me but I couldn't figure out why

Nomadland is our generations Grapes of Wrath except it was influenced by corporate backing.

I just had the feeling described in this review of "something not sitting right with me", though not about the movie but rather about this review. Similarly I couldn't really put my finger on it, but after some deliberation I think its because I believe the movie has completely different intentions than the reviewer assumes it has (or that it should have). This movie is not meant to be about showing poverty, economic struggles or depicting another "class", and may even be actively avoiding these subjects in order to place the focus on other topics which are on a more generally relatable human level - dealing with emotions of loss, grief and restlessness, finding community, friendship and humanity during hardships and in later stages of life, (re-)connecting with nature and family. None of these topics were shown romanticized or 'sanitized', they were actually depicted as real as it gets with a splash of hopefulness, therefore in my mind the movie succeeds in its original intention and beautifully so.

You nailed it. You have people/part time nomad who chose to live in a RV then you have Nomads who are forced into it. This movie is about the second type and people need to understand that.

I’ve never thought of it like this,,, thanks for your insight!

You give a real good talk on this,the points about the food being expensive for such people at a dinner are so spot on.I know that if truly the in your face true lifestyle was shown,the loneliness,the uncertainty,the poor wages,I could go deeper,it would show a bleak movie,I think the director used some wisdom so as not to bring a hopelessness to the people who really live this life seeing this movie. Or those who are entering it especially at this time.

I liked #Nomadland well enough, and wondered if I was looking at my future, but as someone who has been poor, and still doesn’t have much, there was something about it that nagged at me, and you say it better than I ever could have.

I started an Instagram once called 'van life cause I'm broke'. That's not a plug cause I haven't visited that for years. But at the time, Instagram was full of fresh happy van lifers in Mercedes Sprinters with tropical backdrops. I was a night janitor living in an 80s Dodge Hightop that was leaking propane, in the winter of 2016 in Canada. I took the night job so I could sleep during the warmest hours of the day as I was too afraid to turn on the propane heater. I parked in a low income hood behind a grocery store so I could catch the wifi. Also, obvious tip: upper income hoods will call the cops on a stationary van. My Instagram showed me brushing my teeth in a public washrooms and various pics from my night janitor job. I still live like this, but with a partner in a truck camper. In BC there is a housing crisis that has been going on in Vancouver for many years, which displaces the country folk as the lower income city folk move further and further out of core city centers. The reality: you get good at living in vehicles and you are flexible enough to take high paying labour jobs that are offered during limited seasonal times. The variety of jobs is interesting and yes, jobs middle class America would likely never consider. Right now I am packing apples into bags all day. But before that, I was in the field picking the apples from the tree and felt very elated and at peace with the world. The community really is all that the movie presents so long as you maintain personal boundaries. I loved this movie. As a long time vehicle dweller (I spent last winter in a Ford Focus) all I ask is for more places to take a hot shower. That's all. Love ❤

I live in the southwest and have driven through some of the most poverty ridden parts of the country, the optimism of this movie was genuinely sickening considering how hopeless many people’s situation is. I guess nauseating optimism is just the Disney way...

I watched the movie last night. I agree with your assessment 100%. Romanticizing homelessness and making it look danger free is unreal. Everyone in the movie is nice and good.

Interesting video. I haven't seen it yet, but there is a chance I would agree with you. Thank you for the video.

Great commentary, instant sub!

Enjoyed the video, very different perspective on this, do you have the link to that article you briefly showed on screen? The one about physical injuries?

How come some people enjoy digging ditches and others hate it. One person believes he's getting paid to work out and get into great physical shape. The other person thinks he's stuck digging ditches and the day drags on. It's all about attitude and perspective.

Your voice was so familiar to me but then up I realized I was watching the kino corner. Lol this was a good analysis on the movie. I turned the movie off liking it but feeling like something was off and I think this video helped me think about the movie more critically.

Im in the bracket of society thats constantly a couple bad months away from living this life.. Ive lived in a car before and while that life might be neat to try for a couple days, once you start trying to dig yourself out its a life of never ending servitude. Movies like this arent uplifting theyre horrifying to people like me. Its like media companies are trying to tell us its ok youre impoverished look how much fun were having doing it. Ive seen older coworkers get fired from low end no labor jobs for ending up in the hospital one too many times. My house flooded twice last week and my boss helped me out by giving me a notice saying if i take any more "unexcused" absences i will face consequences despite knowing the circumstances. Most of us dont live the nomad life, but were doing everything we can not to and this hill were climbing seems to get steeper every year while they stand at the peak looking down on us struggling and say oh what fun that must be they just need a better attitude. I consider myself somewhat well of and its still gonna take me 5 years to get to a comfortable point if everything goes to plan.

3:58 What clip is that movie from? Some British film from the 70s. Misbehaving kids get sent to the headmaster. I’ve seen the film, I just can’t think of the name…

but it won an oscar kino, surely that means its awesome and great and fun

Great review and social commentary!

Problem is…the population of real life Nomads issue is low wages, houselessness, and age discrimination. It should therefore reference poverty . I totally agree with this review.

I get what this critique is saying, but I think the movie is more complex and can be viewed from many perspectives. In my opinion, the movie is not so much about glamourizing poverty/homelessness, but more about showcasing what the lifestyle is like, and how it can be ingrained in one's habits and hard to be carved out ever since. It really reminds me of a book, "Housekeeping", by Marilynne Robinson, and Bruce Springsteen's Western Stars. At times it doesn't even feel like characters are making a choice, but more like affected by the inescapable inertia of a status.

When I first saw it, I liked it. I still think it is good movie, but for many of the reasons you have pointed out, I think less of it now. The fact that it cut out the workplace abuses at Amazon shown in the book in order to film at the shipping center does not sit well with me. It definitely treats Fern's poverty as a decision and not an inescapable situation, especially since her sister gives her money when she needs it and she had a place to stay at the end that wasn't a van. Also, would you consider The Florida Project a realistic depiction of poverty without crossing into poverty porn?

Not seen the movie but enjoyed your take on it! Will watch it to get my own but agree a lot with what you said brother

This is a superb analysis of “Nomadland” the movie. For myself I felt very little for the characters. There was very few insights into the individuals. It seemed more about beautiful landscapes than the actual people. That said; it was at least a glimpse into the reality of many older people.

I LOVED IT! I have watched it at least 30 times.. I will watch it more also.

Who is the guy singing and playing guitar in the mountains and at the end? I can find that info. Thanks in advance.

When I was a kid, I wanted to run away and be poor because of hollywood romanticism of the homeless, im glad I didn't tho

I largely agree. My only problen is that if I follow your line of thought, the only kind of movies you can make about poor people would be tragidies. Since a movie about poor people with a positive message would be "Poverty porn" even though you said many people with less material possessions live happier lives - therefore allowing for a ballance between criticism and "happy story telling". But that's what you probably meant anyway! Still a great video! Thanks!

Brilliant critique. I don’t feel it is fair for me to criticize a movie that I have not seen. I doubt I will see it as, after reading McDormand and Zhao’s comments on the film, I felt they were less creating an imaginative work of art than creating propaganda. They were leaning in to the current narrative of Hollywood and the nation at large. I also am boycotting Disney and their toadies because of its support of China and overt cancelling attacks on their critics. Most of what I have read about the movie centers on the beautiful scenery and the main character’s transcendence, which in itself could have been a great theme - transcending the consumer world. But if, as you say, they toss in some real poverty-stricken people as part of that scenery, well, man, that is just despicable. More than anything, the movie strikes me as another attempt by Hollywood to define reality. This is what you should believe. Kind of like the scene in The Fisher King, where the TV executive is trying to convince Jeff Bridges’ character that a TV show about the homeless would focus on how happy and free the homeless characters were. As to your discussion on class, I think you are right on. I grew up in two ghettos (lucky me), but I went to a very respected university. One day I was recounting to my dorm colleagues how brutal my old neighborhoods could be. I am white. The whites in my neighborhood were the minority. Most of the black people we lived near were good people. But there were black people who hated white people. They would take their hate out on innocent white kids who lived in the neighborhood. It was not uncommon to see 15 black dudes beat the hell out of a single white boy. The wealthy liberal kids (who had never met a person of color until going to college) could not reconcile this with their view on how black people live. One of them said, “the white kid MUST have used the N-word.” That statement was then repeated by each person around the table, one by one like a religious mantra. And just like that, my experience was shape-shifted to fit their reality. When I see Francis McDormand, I see those kids sitting around the table in the dorm. Sorry for the long reply. Good critique.

well constructed analysis/video.

This video really opened my eyes. I watched it once, it was my least favorite of the Best Picture movies. I was lukewarm, I thought it looked pretty and I liked the non actors, but it was honestly pretty boring. But knowing why Frances McDormand wanted to make the movie just.... paints the whole movie in this very cynical light.

Love your videos :)

Thanks for posting this! I saw the movie yesterday and something didn't sit right with me. Now I want to read the book! One movie I liked that I felt represented some if the hopes and desperation of the poor was The St of Fort Washington.

I've never seen this but Miles Mathis referred me to this video. You got a mention from him! That means you're doing a good job. Keep it up.

Can someone tell me the name of the movie show at 11:27?

Nomadland doesn't show a version of poverty for rich people. Actual nomads tell their stories. Like, how can that be manipulated if the people represented in the movie are in the actual movie. It also doesn't romantisize it. Many of the people in the movie have chosen those lives. They see beauty in it, even with the downsides. Dave refuses to be with his son because of the complexity of the situation, and in the end, he ends up doing it. Fern refuses help. People have been trying to help her throughout her life, but she still chooses that life. Even so, the movie shows the difficult life of these nomads. The many problems that they have to face. But they still find value in that way of life, the isolation, and the communities. And the real nomads are secondary in the movie because they aren't the protagonist. Fern is. She is obviously going to be the focal point of the movie. And it is a movie about how a nomad is too stubborn to let go of the past and to accept actual help, even if that means going through those problems in the life of a nomad, even if there is some beauty in it. And it shows how at the end, she might end up letting go of it and accepting help. I really struggle to see any romantization. They face many, many problems. But just because they do doesn't mean they can't find any beauty in those places.

A Really Good Video Enjoyed it a lot Interesting Topic too.I myself Didnt watch The Film but of the Clips you showed it looks like they have a Filter wich makes it look like a an Add I dont know if I am the only one

Haven't seen it. Appreciate your giving me another aspect about it to consider. I live in Los Angeles, surrounded by these "happy" homeless people. They live in tents on sidewalks and on freeway overpasses and in front of old buildings. They line the streets of mostly abandoned factories in dilapidated mobile homes. And they fill our streets and freeway underpasses with more and more garbage and human waste every day. I took 5th street downtown (Los Angeles) a couple weeks ago and could not believe the thousands upon thousands of homeless, dirty, crazy people roaming that area. And, they are the people that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences famously "displaced" in order to hold the Oscars ceremony this year at Union Station for the couple hundred (if that) celebrities who decided to show up. As the best picture award went to a movie about these very same people. Believe it or not, I never actually thought of Nomadland in this context. Now that I do, I'm not sure I want to watch it either.

Hollywood is full of hypocrites. Also, water wet, fire hot. These and other shocking truths on tonight's episode of "Duh." With that sarcasm aside, yeah, rich people live with their wealth by telling themselves they are far more burdened than the poor, that the poor have a richness they don't.

this film, as for me, is not about poverty, but about loneliness

Great video!

I really enjoyed this movie, and found the realism of the characters a genuine touch.. I used to have a part time job for a few nights a week in another city over three hours drive away from where I lived, so I bought a large station wagon and set up a bed in the back so I could sleep in the vehicle during the day between nightshifts in the company carpark, I would then drive home after my last shift when my work week was done. There was a freedom in knowing I could do this, and saved a fortune on gas and time not being in traffic by not having to head home after each shift. I related to the cold in the movie as the Winter months were a struggle sometimes, but a workmate recommended getting a high quality sleeping bag to use with a hot water bottle, warm as toasties after that..

I aways like an hones dabate about a movie and you have provided one so kudos for that.

Very good class analysis from a city slicker

Very interesting take. I want to see the movie. But, that's because I've seen the poverty here in California all over. First time taking my son camping when he was little (back in 2007) about half the campground was people actually living in tents and moving campground to campground. It REALLY affected me seeing that... It was out of Grapes of Wrath...

I have lived off grid for several months, although I'm currently in a shared house for a spell. If this was based in the UK, I would have liked to see how she dealt with all the rain/damp clothing. Being homeless can be terrifying. Dealing with the police or other people who you are with, but don't trust. Dealing with rats and mice. This was a rose tinted film.

I loved this. And what's better was ending on good movies about poverty.

Compelling analysis! The underlying idea that the film ‘should’ have done various things is debatable, though. As you said, it wasn’t about the people or poverty, it was about that character. There’s a place for that. There is no definitive social value in art - there are diverse values. I learned a lot from this video. Thank you!

Your discussion with Appalachia and the idea that mobile homes/trailers or looked down upon but tiny homes are revered hits me hard. I can see the correlation with Americans who HAVE to live out of their vehicle versus #vanlife. I would love to see a list of movies that you think depict the region because "Hillbilly Elegy" certainly wasn't it either. Lovely discussion!

Excellent review

Here's a quote from Letterboxd user batteries that responds to a review much like your video - "It seems you have a bone to pick with Hollywood's depiction of poverty-and rightfully so. Hollywood depicting poverty is a perverse juxtaposition. However I think your passion for picking that bone has obscured how you viewed this very good movie. Fern has opportunities to leave her nomadic situation, but she won't-she can't. What's keeping her on the road?
This is a leftist film; it's about being oblique to an inescapable, all encompasing capitalist world, and the all-too-recognizable indignation we feel in this. I think this quote from Dolly to her sister Fern describes this perfectly: "When you were growing up, you were eccentric to other people. You maybe seemed weird, but it was just because you were braver and more honest than everybody else." I am glad this film was rated highly by so many others as it offsets your cruel and shortsighted rating." Fern's Nomadic situation provides her with the escape of the capitalist realm of America she desires. Fern has opportunities to leave her lifestyle all around her. She doesn't feel the utter wrath of poverty many others forced to live this way do and is content with working at Amazon warehouses for a source of income as any other barely getting by American citizen wouldn't be.

Would love to hear your thoughts about Minari (2020)!!

I'm far from rich, but when the last member of my immediate family (my father) passed away after I spent nearly a decade as his caretaker, and left me a house in Missouri that I never wanted to live in, in a town where I had no one, IO sold it all and went nomad myself to take a real shot at my own "fantasy", being a real nature and wildlife photographer. after 20 years of sittings, events, etc, and having had my work in 3 fine art mags, this was my dream. Now I'm living it. My work isn't selling, and I'm out of money, making due on what I get from disability, but I've LOVED the last year I've spent on the road and still love living this lifestyle. Is there a difference between having a mobile lifestyle and being homeless? DEFINITELY! But there is a very wide grey area separating the two with a lot of overlap in some cases. I've yet to watch the movie, but I hear a lot of people trash talk "vanlife" as "glorifying homelessness", and the two are not the same. Building out a 2021 Promaster with most of the same comforts as a small apartment is not the same as living in a beat up car, hoping it gets you to the next town every time you turn the key.

I agree with a lot of the individual points you make (Hollywood focusing on disempowered people in their narratives to make Oscar bait movies/the wealthy being tourists to the lives of the poor...) but you haven't convinced me that Nomadland is the concentration of all these ideas. I don't think every movie about the poor or impoverished needs to be a gritty and bleak rallying cry, so long as its a fair depiction of their lives. I also don't think Chloe Zhao is the Marvel/Disney/Hollywood plant that you paint her to be. Just because Hollywood finds a movie to embrace doesn't immediately make it a vapid, lifeless Oscar bait film. Would you say the same for Moonlight? or Parasite? You also are reading a lot into very small details, like one quote from Frances McDormant or a gift basket that some person at a marketing agency probably came up with, as if Chloe Zhao made it herself. I think there's some valid criticisms to consider and think about with this movie, I think you just tried too hard to make too strong of a point, and your ending conspiracy only caused me to doubt any good will you may have approached this essay with.

The Florida Project was more of a realistic portrayal of poverty to me than Nomadland.

I’m so glad you made this video and validated how I felt about it. I lived in my car for a little after watching a famous KZfaqr do it and had a very negative experience. I believe she was able to do it because she had such a big following which funded her trips. It was a horrible experience but I do remember running into wealthy car dwellers during my excursion and I just couldn’t understand how they were able to afford the lifestyle comfortably and I couldn’t. I guess if you work a remote job it can be fun but you really have to make a lot. Plus always finding a place to park is really hard so maybe they have connections. I want to believe these influencers have good intentions though still.

That conspiracy theory is better than theories about what is going to happen in the next Avengers Movie.

Thank you Kino! I I want to make a movie that actually tries to make a difference, and your comments about how a film can be done to make it acclaimed instead of actually trying to expose the problems of society really makes me think. I want to try to avoid these issues. Would love to chat!

I have known these people and followed their lives for years. The truth is people with few resources, and several in the final years of life, want to spend their most valuable resource, time, where they want, and not under the control of others! This is a desire of rich and poor!

What do you think of the 1985 film Lost in America?

this is an amazing video. my absolute thoughts regarding the movie.

That's funny, the actual nomads loved the movie and commented on how real they were portrayed. Of course, I thought it was painfully boring.

This was intended to highlight the problem seniors, including myself, are facing. Every month I am just dollars away from homelessness, and I've been in the same apt for 11 years - without a car or transportation.

you nailed the point exactly the way a german reviewer did in other words, since he couldn’t help feeling uneasy with the movie versus jessica bruder‘s book and the true problem behind vandwelling.

Man, thank you for this.