Chloé Zhao Is Tearing Down Barriers For Her Oscar-Nominated Film “Nomadland”
graphic by samantha currier
Filmmaker Chloé Zhao is making history and breaking barriers for a movie about van life. No, not the van life you see on your “For You” Page, featuring millennials waking up in the Rocky Mountains to make coffee and sit around painting all day. “Nomadland” focuses on a woman navigating her way through life in a van after losing almost everything in the 2008Great Recession, including her job, home, and husband. The film is up for several nominations at the upcoming Oscars after taking home some hardware at the Golden Globes.
More importantly, Zhao is making headlines for more than just the big screen. Recently, she became the first woman of Asian descent to win a Golden Globe for best director. She also is the first woman of color to snag a nomination for best director at the Oscars.
At a time when Anti-Asian racism has been brought to light and taken the country by storm, Zhao’s achievements seem to have taken on a monumental meaning. She’s emerged as an inspiration, despite the violence we see every time we pick up our phones.
As for the movie she directed, “Nomadland” opens our eyes to appreciate even the most modest of relationships and helps us come to terms with the realities of life and death. It introduces us to a demographic that we never think of, the modern-day nomad. Also sprinkled in is a subtle “fuck you” to Jeff Bezos when main character Fern lands a job working in an Amazon factory while trying to make ends meet. The movie definitely could’ve painted the Amazon warehouses in a more severe light, but there were a few shots fired at the company for its working conditions, and deservedly so. Anyways, that’s beside the point.
Given the trauma she was dealing with while trying to get by, Fern is an absolute badass. Rarely is it possible for us to sit through a movie where damn near every single character is 60+ years old, but Zhao and Co. directed a narrative that keeps us engaged from start to finish. There’s also nothing like a brief, if not fulfilled, love interest between a couple of nomadic baby-boomers.
It isn’t difficult to understand why the film is nominated for six awards at the Oscars. Zhao opened avenues for Frances McDormand (playing Fern) to fully embrace the “nomad” lifestyle on her way to an Oscar nomination of her own. “Nomadland” is nominated for Best Cinematography too, with images of the desolate American Southwest captured throughout the movie to the last shot, a memorable note of finality that allows the viewer to sit back and digest everything.
The movie’s versatility is a credit to Zhao, who has come to the spotlight at a suitable time in an industry that doesn’t typically reward women of color. So, when you get the chance, put on “Nomadland”, come to terms with the fact that not all of van life is a trendy getaway from reality, and give Zhao the love she deserves.