‘It’s an utter myth’: how Nomadland exposes the cult of the western

From cowboys to ‘van-dwellers’, itinerant Americans are often portrayed as heroic lone wolves.

Chloé Zhao’s film shows that the truth is more complicated and less glamorousIt has been a wild ride for Nomadland, Chloé Zhao’s roving portrait of the US’s rootless modern migrants.

Shot for $5m and largely featuring amateur actors, it is the little movie that could: this year’s rags-to-riches story, beloved by the critics and odds-setters alike.

The road has been cleared, the gold rush is on, but the Hollywood happy ending feels at odds with the film.

As Nomadland steers its westerly course – from the Baftas in London to the Oscars in Los Angeles – it is living a dream that it knows is a lie.Condé Nast Traveler called it “a love letter to America’s wide open spaces”, which is true up to a point, but this ignores the pathos, poverty and desperation at its core.

Read full article