Nomadland

After losing her savings and home during the Great Recession, Fern, a woman in her sixties, clips along the American West in a converted van. She moves through small towns and vast landscapes, taking seasonal jobs and making friends among a loose circle of fellow travelers. The film follows her practical adjustments, the people she relies on, and the quiet resolve it takes to live on the margins. With intimate, observational filming, we glimpse a life built from mobility, routine, and the hard choices that come with losing everything but not losing hope. Along the way she bonds with people like Dave, Linda May, Swankie and Gay, sharing meals in campgrounds and keeping each other company between shifts.

Directed by Chloé Zhao, Nomadland adapts Jessica Bruder's nonfiction with a restrained, observational approach that blends fiction and documentary sensibilities. Zhao keeps a distant, respectful tone, and principal photography unfolds on real locations across the western United States, for audiences worldwide.

At the 93rd Academy Awards, Nomadland won Best Picture and Best Director for Zhao, with Frances McDormand earning Best Actress and the film also taking home Best Adapted Screenplay. Critics praised its restrained, humane portrayal of endurance. The wins underscored its cross gender appeal and social relevance.

Nomadland sparked conversations about economic precarity and the choices people make when traditional security fades. Its restrained style and grounded performances influenced a wave of indie dramas, while Fern's ties to a nomad network highlighted resilience and community amid uncertainty. The film helped normalize van life as a reference point.

Critics praised the film for Frances McDormand's understated performance and Zhao's patient direction, highlighting its humane look at survival and independence. Viewers connect with Fern's quiet resilience, and themes include self sufficiency, the value of chosen community, memory, and the lasting impact of economic collapse on ordinary lives.