Nomadland (2020)
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12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
The story
In 2011, Fern loses her job after the closure of the US Gypsum plant in Empire, Nevada, following the death of her husband. She sells her belongings to purchase a van and begins traveling across the United States in search of work. During her journey, she encounters other nomads, including a friend named Linda who invites her to a desert rendezvous in Arizona. This community provides a support system and essential survival skills for those living on the road. As the seasons change and her circumstances shift, Fern navigates the challenges of nomadic life, seeking both a sense of belonging and a way to move forward in a changing landscape.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After her husband's death and the closure of her workplace in Nevada, Fern travels the U.S. in a van. She takes various seasonal jobs, including one at an Amazon warehouse and another as a camp host in South Dakota. Along the way, she befriends Swankie, a woman with a terminal cancer diagnosis, and Dave, a man she meets at a desert gathering. She eventually visits her sister in California to repair her van and later visits Dave's family, who offer her a place to stay, which she declines. She returns to the desert community where she learns of Swankie's death and shares stories of her past with Bob. Finally, Fern returns to her former home in Empire to settle her affairs before returning to the road.
- First release year
- 2020
- Runtime (minutes)
- 108
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Chloé Zhao
- Writers
- Chloé Zhao · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Frances McDormand · Fern; David Strathairn · Dave; Linda May · Linda; Charlene Swankie · Swankie; Bob Wells · Bob
- Genres
- drama
- Themes
- nomadic lifestyle; grief; self-sufficiency
- Tone and mood
- poetic; unhurried
- Premise and plot tags
- road movie; independent film
- Source material / true-story basis
- Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder
- Reception
- The film was critically acclaimed and a box-office success, receiving universal acclaim from critics and winning several major awards.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 89 · scale: 100 · review count: 55
- Awards and nominations
- Best Film · Independent Spirit Awards · Won
- Production trivia
- Chloé Zhao was the first Asian woman to win Best Director at the Academy Awards.; Frances McDormand was the first woman to win Academy Awards for both acting and producing.; The film was the first to win the top prize at both the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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