Nomadland, 2020

 

Rated R

This year's Academy Awards show was just about the worst one I've had to sit through (and yes, I sat through the Hathaway & Franco debacle and the "Is it Moonlight or LaLaLand?" disaster). The show was broadcast two months later than usual to allow for a longer eligibility period for films. I was ready to extend all sorts of grace given this was the first year they've had to navigate an award show during a pandemic, but it had high school dance written all over it. Critics wrote afterward that it was the lowest-rated and viewed award show in history. Many viewers even turned it off mid-air due to the politically- and racially-charged comments of the celebrities. But I'm not here to discuss the caliber of the show itself, so I'll jump ahead to what should have been the most exciting, but was rather anti-climactic (par-for-the-course) - the Best Picture winner....

"Nomadland" follows Fern, played by Francis McDormand, as she travels across the American west in her van after losing her job at a factory that has shut down due to the recession in 2008. Her husband recently passed away and she's off to find temp work and live the nomadic life since the entire town has dissolved as well and now she is "house-less". She ends up selling rocks in Arizona, working the Badlands National Park in South Dakota, and packing boxes for Amazon around the holidays. We're also given a peek inside "van life" complete with the harsh realities of surviving frigid winters and my least favorite: bathroom situations. She meets new friends (some she returns to seasonally) in different nomadic communities, but you can tell she keeps her distance somewhat and won't invest too deeply. 

There is a difference between being secluded and feeling lonely. A lot of us probably dream of peaceful retreats - time away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the noise, the responsibility, (the kids?) - where we are sheltered with our own thoughts and given time to process and reflect. Granted, seclusion can lead to loneliness, and I think Fern ended up going through periods of this during her journey. She was an empath who related surprisingly well with others. We'd see her listen, laugh, and give occasional pieces of advice. But she'd also close up like a clam. 

Also, there is a difference between wanderlust and a purely nomadic lifestyle due to circumstantial loss or grief. People have looked at this film and thought, "wouldn't it be great just to pick up and go?" First, they've missed the point of the impetus of this community's "movement". We hear from [real-life] nomads in the film who travel for reasons of financial ruin, addiction, and family dysfunction, among others. Some stop and "settle back down" like one character named Dave, but most are on the move, never putting down roots again and you can sense this has altered their perspective - definitely making them more jaded and/or guarded in a way. 

I didn't not like this movie, but it wasn't one I connected with on a personal or spiritual level. I respected the somber tone and the persevering gumption Fern had to keep surviving. But overall, I felt the movie dragged on; I wanted it to pull over and let me out. 

The film's cinematography had its moments though for sure - there were shots that were quite stunning, proving that the breathtaking landscape of the American west is one that should be noted and visited. 

"Nomadland" was up against "The Father", "Mank", "Minari", "Judas and the Black Messiah", "Promising Young Woman", "Sound of Metal", and "The Trial of the Chicago 7". I had not seen any of these films and honestly, I still don't care to. So I'm not offering a very good defense of "Nomadland"'s win- but this is my blog and opinion anyway. All eight films grossed a worldwide total of barely $35 million at the time of the show, which is an unimpressive amount for even one film usually. "Nomadland" had six nominations and walked away with three wins including Best Director and Best Actress. (While she was entertaining, I much preferred McDormand in "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" in 2017). 

MEMORABLE SCENES:

Whenever Fern would have little heart-to-hearts with the other older female nomads, I tended to smile. They swapped truth bombs and nuggets of wisdom. These are two real-life nomads, Swankie (L) and Linda May (R).

LESSONS LEARNED:

1. For many hardworking Americans, "the American Dream" is a cruel joke. 

2. Community is where it's at. Even though Fern chose the life of a nomad, she would meet up with these traveling communities, because it is with sharing and a sense of community that one finds companionship and purpose. She smiled more; she served and helped others, and carried on conversations that made her think more about herself and her predicaments. 

Parasite, 2019

Rated R

I actually watched this Best Picture winner not long after it won the award back in February of 2020, but the next month the world seemed to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We were all strongly encouraged to shelter-in-place; "distance learning" commenced, and my hubby and I decided to homeschool our children the next year. It literally felt like we were surrounded by the living representation of the title of this movie - our own parasitic creations. Our beloved offspring seemed to suck every moment of "spare" time and patience right out of me, not to mention every bit of food out of our pantry. 

That said, I'm a year behind in posting this review, but better late than never, right? I'm holding myself accountable to comment on every Best Picture winner, and this one is special. "Parasite" is the first non-English language film to win Best Picture. (It was the first nomination for a South Korean film in the Academy's history). The film is a combo satire/suspense/psychological thriller. I mentioned to a good friend of mine that Hubby and I were going to watch it one night and she said, "Oh, I loved that movie!" I asked her if there was a lot of blood or if it was scary, because I'm not really a fan of either. She said, "Uh.. no. Not that I can remember." Dear reader, let me warn you now, if you haven't watched it, that my friend had amnesia. 😑 We only got through half of the film the first night and we thought it was extremely clever, even laugh-out-loud funny at times, and I questioned its R rating. Right at the halfway point, where we stopped it, I thought, this could take a very different turn. And it did. 

The Kims, a working-class family who live beneath a shop, take odd jobs and end up weaseling their way into working for the affluent Park family as they each pose as different skilled workers that the Park family suddenly (and conveniently) find themselves needing to hire. The thrilling twist comes when the Kim family discovers what is already residing in the Park household when they find themselves housesitting one weekend. Without giving away the psychological pieces of the story, prepare yourself for bloodshed at the end if you're opposed to that. (I turned my head at a few very gruesome moments). 

Overall, I am so glad I saw this film (after I yelled at my friend) because it was through this sardonic experiment of human behavior that my mind continued reeling for days afterward. I kept thinking about class discrimination, ignorance, the lengths one goes to when driven by greed, the sacrifices one makes for one's family, and the holes one can dig themselves into if not careful. And even now, almost a year and a half later, I'm realizing that writer/director Bong Joon-ho was likely calling us all to action or at least responsibility within our stations/classes or we will continue to feed off each other in a continual cycle of stubbornness and/or greed. The goal is to find our shared humanity. Although I didn't see all the nominated films this year, I believe this one deserved Best Picture and I am so pleased that an international film won the distinguished award. 

"Parasite" was up against "Ford v Ferrari", "The Irishman", "Jojo Rabbit", "Joker", "Little Women", "Marriage Story", "1917", and "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood". This was the first year that four films had double-digit nominations (10 or 11); "Parasite" only had six. It took away four of those wins with Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film. Interestingly, many of the nominated films had dark or gloomy plotlines. "Little Women", however, was a remake of a beloved classic. I thought it was truly lovely. I enjoyed the interactions between the four sisters (although I thought the woman who played Amy actually looked older than Beth). However, I'm still partial to the 1995 version with Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes, and Winona Ryder. I was also incredibly impressed with Adam Driver's performance in "Marriage Story". 

FAVORITE SCENE(S):

I'm not sure that I had a specific favorite scene but I especially enjoyed the second quarter of the film, which detailed how each member of the Kim family came to be employed by the Park family. I thought it was creatively done.

MEMORABLE QUOTE:
"You know what kind of plan never fails? No plan. No plan at all. You know why? Because life cannot be planned." Mr. Kim says this to his son after a flash flood destroys their home under the shop and they are forced to sleep in a gym. While I understand the sentiment - life can throw you curveballs that you can't control or are unprepared for - this is not an excuse to not have a rough plan or dream for your life. Successful people become that by dreaming and putting a plan into action. Will everything always go according to plan? No, but having options and avenues to pivot to are valuable when there is a diversion.

LESSONS LEARNED:

Envy can make us blind. Thinking that finally having what someone else has will make us happy is a fantasy. It's a temporary fix to a deeper problem. Focusing on what's missing in our lives only makes us blind to what we have. There's a reason it's one of the "seven deadly sins" - it can be destructive and all-consuming. 

Wealth doesn't make one immune to misery. 

Do a background check or at least ask for more than one reference when hiring people to work in your home. Yikes. 

Don't rely on friends to remember everything about a movie and give good recommendations. 😉