MovieChat Forums > Nomadland (2021) Discussion > a film viewing life on the edge

a film viewing life on the edge

posted 3 years ago by jriley555 (7053)
4 replies | jump to latest

not for everyone, but for those fascinated with the adventurous, the down-trodden, the extremists, the non-conformists amongst us its a fascinating study.

the character does not conform to anyone's conventional expectations, including her own sister's

i thought it was real, harrowing, heart-warming and baffling.

that it received acclaim was quite justified. its a memorable film, utilizing many non-professional actors which again injected reality into the narrative.

as far as the ill-considered negativity directed at the film, i put it down to the sorts that demand film meet their expectations, become scornful at those which don't. c'est la vie. this film wasn't for the likes of them. 90% of films are, i guess they want them all.

[–] joi2049 (5488) 3 years ago

Well put jriley.

The kind of negativity that one finds being directed at this film also seems to be directed at almost any new film or TV show -- regardless of how well it's been written or portrayed.

It's as if attacking and bashing them has become some kind of a "sick sport" for certain people who also troll other message boards where they'll also express the same kind of boring complaints again that you'll read at other boards.

And it's also curious why they feel the need to do this instead of visiting other boards to discuss other shows that they do like.

If you don't like a story, then why bother to waste your time telling someone else who does like it that the way they feel is wrong?

Do they really think what they say is going to change your opinion of it???

In other words, Certain kinds of NEGATIVE comments that one encounters have definitely never made any SENSE to me either.

[–] stickman38 (3017) a month ago

I caught this film the other day, its alright I guess. It's a little on the boring side but it was well shot and has a very authentic feel to it. Its in the same vein as films like - Into The Wild, Tracks, Wild, 127 Hours, Cast Away etc...etc..

If you're into films that feature characters in rural/desolate locations or seeking adventure away from mainstream life, you'll probably like it but I felt like the film just didn't quite equal the sum of its parts. It fell a little short for me, let's face it, it's a sad story, nothing here will get you motivated to live like a nomad, in fact, quite the opposite.

After watching this, I will gladly stick with the hustle and bustle of city life. lol...

That being said, I think the movie does have a message, it will speak to those that are not quite satisfied with their lives and are ready to go on an adventure perhaps but to me that's where the film fails.. the atmosphere of melancholy is so heavy that it just makes this not a very enjoyable film to watch. I'll still give it a 6.5 out of 10. It's got some interesting parts and whatnot but I think Tracks (2013) is my favorite film of this nature so far. It's based on a true story and just has a slightly more interesting story.

[–] jriley555 (7053) a month ago

Good take. I think this story was definitely not designed to inspire, but to inform on a single, determined, rather bleak course of the life of people on the edge.

[–] stickman38 (3017) a month ago

Thanks for the reply, Jriley.

I think you are correct, it's not a film about triumph or success, just the opposite really, although I wouldn't say it's entirely about failure either. As is, it's not a "bad film". It accomplishes what it set out to be. Not sure that it should have won best picture but this is the only film from that year I've watched, so, can't really judge that. I might watch The Father next. It actually has a higher rating on metacritic and IMDB than Nomadland.