Awards analysis: FrancesMcDormand makes a strong case for Oscar No. 3 in 'Nomadland'
's acclaimed 2017 non-fiction book of the same name, it paints a beautiful and haunting portrait of the ways in which many older Americans have been impacted by the Great Recession. And it features a leading turn by a never betterthat could well result in her becoming only the second person to accumulate as many as three best actress Oscars, afterIt's hard to imagine a film that could better capture the zeitgeist — often a major consideration for members of the film Academy, conscious or not — than this portrait of mournful and weary resilience, which begs the question: is this really what has happened to America, the land of promise, and the American dream? It is set during the Obama years, but is just as much a comment on the Trump years, so it won't be easy for either side to politicize it.
, which was adapted from's story of people hit by hard times but passing by or surrounded by people in the same boat and therefore, perhaps, maintaining their dignity and their strength to carry on. , McDormand plays Fern, a stubborn and proud woman who lost her husband, her home, her community and her company-town job in 2011, and has now opted to cut costs and explore career opportunities in the new gig economy by traveling and living in her van. She finds a community of other"nomads" who, for one reason or another, have taken similar measures, many of whom claim, as she does, to have found a measure of happiness in their new way of life. It is unimaginable that McDormand won't be widely celebrated for this work, to which she reportedly — and obviously — committed herself, body and soul. She has expressive eyes and, unlike so many performers of both genders, the 63-year-old has done nothing to try to hide evidence of the aging process from her face. This is actually crucial to the performance, as Fern is a woman who has lived a life that hasn't been and isn't easy, and the part demands that a great deal be communicated without dialogue. One largely dialogue-free tracking shot through a camp of nomads is a particularly special showcase for McDormand's performance,
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