Nomadland Film Review

By: Keaton Marcus

See you down the road.

Nomadland, which one could both consider a 2020 or 2021 release, has been put on Hulu for general audiences to witness. The film is deeply meditative, calming, depressing and more of an experience than an actual movie. No wonder it was put in select IMAX theaters, as it’s a gorgeously-shot film, likely one of the most beautiful of last year. Or soon to be if you count it as a 2021 release. It’s documentary-like in the sense that they brought Oscar-winning actress Frances McDormand around to act alongside true nomads. As a result, it’s an achingly real movie where arguably nothing happens on the surface.

Fern (Frances McDormand) is grieving a life that's been ripped away from her. It seems like she was relatively happy in Empire, Nevada, one of those many American small towns built around industry. When the gypsum plant there closed, the town of Empire quite literally closed with it.

This was never truly going to be a crowd-pleaser, that’s for sure. However, despite my gripes with the film hear or there, it was a near-masterpiece and a mature effort from director Chloe Zhao. She shows exceptional filmmaking prowess (that’s expected considering she was mentored by Malick) and a contemplative look at a few worthy questions. Is a home something we take with us? Does the community that surrounds us make it a home? It poses these deep questions about what makes a home, and through Fern, the movie answers this question several times. Zhao is clearly putting out the message that no matter where you are in the world, home can be found with friends, family or your loved ones. What’s so tragic about the film and its stubborn main character herself is the fact that she suffers from self-indulgent depression and a fear of being close to someone. She constantly refuses companions and people’s help, and almost embraces the sadness, isolation and loneliness as well. It’s become apart of her soul. However, primarily, Frances McDormand is the one who depicts this most effectively. She’s incredibly realistic and impressive in the sense that she felt authentic enough not to stand out in front of a bunch of true nomads. A completely human and down-to-earth presence that deserves love from the Academy Awards.

The remainder of the cast, who, for the most part, portray themselves, are inherently realistic. They’ve lived this life, and considering a lot of them knew that they were filming with an actress of this caliber, I was in awe by the fact that they were able to keep their cool. You could tell that at least the majority of scenes weren’t scripted, and the stories that some of them tell are utterly heartbreaking. Each of them have a distinct reason for choosing this life, for choosing something that requires never turning back. The campfire scene and Fern’s encounter with Swankie were surely the two stand-outs for me. Otherwise, it’s technically top-notch as well, which is what really separates it from being another documentary. The score and camerawork match the themes I wrote about earlier, and coupled with Zhao’s delicate direction and McDormand’s performance, it makes for the flawless combo. The pacing in the second half was definitely noticeably weaker than the first, and of course, it is extraordinarily hard to get through at times, but besides that, I adored this movie.

"Nomadland" is an observant, down-to-earth exploration of the lives of modern-day nomads

“Nomadland” Film Review

100/100 “sweet”

By Quinn Marcus

I sat through the credits of this film, in awe of what I had just seen. I only do this for a select few movies I see when I know they’re truly special. Nomadland was directed by Chloé Zhao and is her third feature film, previously helming 2017s The Rider, and now Eternals for MARVEL. My first few 2021 reviews talk about movies each made by a budding director, and all of them have been excellent films, but Nomadland is easily the best new film I’ve seen in over a year. Honestly, I had almost no idea what to expect going in, but Nomadland surprised me with its documentary-esque approach to its intense subject. It says it on the poster, it’s shown in the trailers, but this film isn’t entirely about nomads, it covers nature, tranquility with one’s existence, death, and yes, society’s forgotten. I haven’t had a good cry watching a film in a while, but Nomadland brought me to the verge of tears. This was an experience like no other, unmatched by any mediocre film that came out in 2020s horrendous movie year. This isn’t going to be a traditional review, I want to take a jab at analyzing the film just a bit, but I’ll still talk about what I loved.

Nomadland tells the story of a woman in her sixties, who after losing everything, decides to embark on a journey to the American-West to live as a modern-day nomad.

It’s a very simple story as you could probably tell from my one-sentence summary, but the themes Nomadland explores aren’t your typical piece of cardboard, if you think about them, they’re pretty complicated. Let’s start with the marvelous directing by Chloé Zhao. This woman is going to be a force of nature in the future, already doing things that are rarely practiced in film. According to an article by IndieWire, most of the entire cast except for a few members were actual people, not actors. The article also mentioned that while the real-life nomads were told about the film, they were asked to be themselves. Hence, the documentary feel of the film. What Zhao managed so well was beautifully capturing the lives of these real people, and it shows, Frances McDormand’s character clearly had a narrative, but the film was mostly improvised. Apparently, Zhao was also given pointers from legendary filmmaker, Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life) Which leads me to the next thing I want to talk about, the cinematography. Like Malick’s Days of Heaven, Nomadland seems like it was filmed at a specific time of day, usually around magic-hour to nighttime. The film is absolutely gorgeous, but it’s also very observant.

We’ll often have these long, smooth takes that take us through the daily routines of these nomads. If there’s one thing you’ll take away from this movie, you’ll know exactly what it’s like to live in a van. I can picture a lot of people saying ‘oh, nothing happens in this film,’ and while that may be true, the point of Nomadland isn’t to give you an emotionally complex narrative, it’s to depict a slice of life. Another thing I loved was the melancholy soundtrack, it was peaceful, moving, and added greatly to the tone of the film. The use of blue in this movie stood out to me, there was rarely a time when there wasn’t something blue in a shot. Blue in film symbolizes isolation, passivity, and calmness, pretty much what this film is about. There’s a scene when McDormand talks to another elderly woman named Swankie, and she say’s “I felt like I've done enough. My life was complete. If I died right then, at that moment, would be perfectly fine.” This quote was taken from an amazing scene in which Swankie talks about a day she spent on the river with swallow’s flying above her. This is a perfect example of passivity and calmness in the film, being at one with nature has given Swankie a sense of acceptance, she’s no longer afraid to die of Cancer. In fact, she doesn’t seem afraid of death at all, and if you hadn’t already guessed it, that’s when the waterworks kicked in.

Isolation is a little easier to discuss because, in a way, the nomad community that McDormand meets has been stripped away from society. Some talk about how they’ve worked all their lives, and it’s amounted to nothing. An entire town lost its zip-code, leaving many families homeless, including McDormand’s character, Fern. The film crawls under your skin in that way, how these people don’t actually consider themselves homeless, and in some cases, prefer the freedom they’ve acquired. It made me further recognize the difference between wants and needs, and how these nomads have nothing, and yet they have everything they could ever need. The van symbolizes life, and the people you meet along the way, this is proven by a quote from Bob “I've met hundreds of people out here and I don't ever say a final goodbye. I always just say, "I'll see you down the road". And I do. And whether it's a month, or a year, or sometimes years, I see them again.” This vehicle represents the connection these people have to each other, it makes them recognize that they’ll never truly have to say goodbye to each other. Another huge theme the film covers is how we’ve lost our connection to nature and all its gifts. The film was shot in IMAX, it now holds the record for the lowest-budget film ($6 million) to be filmed with an IMAX camera. Some shots are absolutely mesmerizing, it has the grand scale of some of the best nature documentaries today, the film doesn’t feel contained at all, it’s relaxed and open.

If Frances McDormand doesn’t win an Oscar this year, I’m done with the Academy Awards. Seriously, she’s a wonder in this film, natural, stern, and breathtakingly real, I never once thought of her as an actor playing a part, to me, she was a nomad. I was also quite impressed with the non-actors of the film. The nomads McDormand meets are absolutely incredible, these people were a masterclass in acting, without any acting! So many things could have gone wrong filming these nomads, but it works almost perfectly. One thing I did not expect was another actor who was clearly in on it with McDormand, David Strathairn (Lincoln). He’s also magnificent, and once again, whether anything was scripted or not, he was so authentic when on-screen just like everyone else in this fantastic film.

The final verdict is…Nomadland is a masterwork in every way imaginable, a refreshingly original, meticulously shot, well-acted drama that will touch your heart as well as your mind…$PLURGE IT!

(2021)

Genre: Drama

(R)

"Judas and the Black Messiah" is a well-acted, gorgeously filmed albeit unfocused directorial showcase for Shaka King

“Judas and the Black Messiah” Film Review

70/100 “sweet/sour”

By Quinn Marcus

And thus begins my first of many 2021 movie reviews to come. I have a lot of excitement about the many films that this year has promised (if they ever come, of course). Through COVID, one of the only things that have kept me sane is the many, many films I’ve seen during the pandemic. Seriously, you could have called me a casual movie-watcher before COVID compared to the number of movies I’m watching now. Just this year, I’ve already seen 52 movies, which averages at roughly 1.08 movies a day, pretty cool huh? Anyways, you probably didn’t click on my review for me to explain math, you’re here for my review of Judas and the Black Messiah, a film that I had so much hype for…but did it live up to my expectations? Well, the short answer is…sort of. When I saw the first trailer at a private screening for Tenet, I thought that it looked like the coolest film ever, and when the first reviews arrived a few months later, man, was I pumped. Critics called it “electrifying,” some even went as far as to say it was the best they’d seen all year! Judas and the Black Messiah slowly made its way up my top 10 most anticipated films of 2021, and then it finally arrived.

Judas and the Black Messiah tells the story of Bill O’Neal who is given the option to go to jail or to redeem himself by infiltrating the Illinois Black Panther Party for the F.B.I. by getting close to the deputy chairman, Fred Hampton. As O’Neal slowly begins to realize the true purpose of the Black Panthers, he begins to question the job he was sent to do, and if he actually believes in the cause that the B.P. movement is fighting for.

One thing I learned from watching this movie is to not build up too much expectation for a film. Maybe that’s why I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to, but it wasn’t a bad film. I found myself fairly conflicted after watching it, not because I didn’t like it, but because I was just a little disappointed. There are some amazing aspects to the film that I’ll talk about later, but let’s start with some negatives. Firstly, the screenplay seemed like a first draft, it felt very thrown together, and even a tad muddled. The film flies by very quickly and doesn’t give you much time to process the information it provides, which led to me becoming pretty confused. I found myself having to run to catch up with what was going on to a point where I didn’t care enough to stay extremely invested. I also couldn’t tell if the movie was focusing on anyone, it shifts protagonists a lot, and I don’t think the writers were sure about whom they wanted the story to follow. The setup for the film is very intriguing, we’re introduced to Bill O’Neal, a character whom I was instantly interested in, but he later falls into the background quite a bit. The film, unfortunately, suffers from a lack of focus, plot-wise, and character-wise. This is one of the first films Shaka King has done, and I was quite impressed with the result, but it wasn’t without flaws.

What I absolutely loved about this film was that it didn’t restrain itself when it came to violence. The film has some gore and isn’t afraid to show it. This led to some highly effective action sequences that left me feeling angry. The film does a really good job of showing us the world of the Black Panther Movement, but it also takes dips into the irritating, disgraceful (60s) F.B.I. through Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons). It clearly gives you a side to root for even if it didn’t quite hand us a proper protagonist. The cinematography greatly surprised me as well. It was filmed by Sean Bobbitt, cinematographer of the excellent 12 Years a Slave, and he doesn’t fail to make this film look absolutely gorgeous. There was this sleek, smooth aesthetic to the film that added immensely to the overall tone. The musical score was absolutely brilliant as well. Composed by Mark Isham and Craig Harris, I haven’t heard such a unique soundtrack in a while, but these men clearly knew what they were doing. Despite being messy as a package, Shaka King handles his scenes very well, particularly a finale that left my jaw-dropping even after the credits began to roll. It’s a tough final 10 minutes to get through, but as a fan of drama, this is what I like to see.

The cast pretty much carries this movie in my opinion. Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) deserves an Oscar for the work he did in this movie. I knew his performance was special the moment he gives a certain passionate speech in the film when he returns from prison. He’s absolutely incredible throughout the film, so natural, and full of intensity. I rarely find two actors in a single film that are award-worthy, but LaKeith Stanfield (Selma) was also amazing. His performance was mostly quiet, but he handles his character’s emotional dilemma powerfully. There are some looks he makes when reacting to certain things that had so much emotional heft to them, that he didn’t need that much dialogue.

The final verdict is…Judas and the Black Messiah may be bogged down by its uneven narrative, but its flaws are often offset by its technical aspects as well as two marvelous starring performances…$TREAM IT!

(2021)

Genre: Biography/Drama/History

(R)

Malcolm & Marie: A Love Story with No Romance

Malcolm & Marie Film Review

86/100 “sweet”

By: Keaton Marcus

Sam Levinson, the talented filmmaker behind the Emmy-winning series Euphoria has released his secret filmed-in-quarantine film Malcolm & Marie exclusively to Netflix, kicking off the movie season for 2021. Seemingly right after release, it utterly divided audiences, one half who thought it was an irritating piece of garbage and the other who claimed it was a masterpiece. I personally am more on the latter side for numerous reasons, and going into this with lowered expectations was the greatest thing ever. Although mildly flawed, this was a fantastic romantic drama. It had chemistry, style, a screenplay as gorgeous as its cinematography, and it was thrillingly enjoyable. I completely understand why so many people haven’t been able to connect with this movie. It portrays a toxic, cruel, and claustrophobic relationship. A love story bereft of actual romance. The dialogue is egotistical, lyrically written, and as a result, relentlessly entertaining.

Malcolm & Marie follows the titular characters (Washington and Zendaya) coming home from Malcolm's first movie premiere. The two engage in an emotionally exhausting conversation about the film's premise, Marie's emotional trauma, Malcolm's arrogance, and whether or not they should continue to be partners.

From the premise, readers can already tell that not all viewers were going to like this film. The actual plot is not nearly as important as its other aspects, and the storyline is criminally simple. Additionally, this was the ultimate depiction of two very egotistical partners, stuck in a literal box, having endless debates about their troubled marriage. Marie with her troubled past and Malcolm with his arrogance and ultimate fragility. The sound of this turned even me off initially and considering I’m one of the fewer people defending this, imagine how many other people thought this was going to be endless, monotonous bullshit? The thing is, it’s supposed to be exactly that. Criticisms for the film being self-indulgent and dull really turn into praise when you look at it from a different perspective. The cinematography, editing, direction, character choices, and performances all work in tandem to create a claustrophobic, uneasy and uncomfortable environment that puts viewers in an odd position. At least what I believe the vast majority of what people didn’t understand was that this was a toxic relationship. In turn, a toxic movie was in order. Without Malcolm’s seemingly never-ending monologues about critics or Marie’s whining about the past, this wouldn’t have worked.

This, unfortunately, is also what makes this movie so simple to hate on. The fact that it was necessary to make this a film where viewers begged to make the main characters shut up and stop complaining means that it has achieved its goal. That’s masterful filmmaking, and I will stand by that. These people aren’t supposed to be loving and kind to each other, they need to be absolute and utter poison and polar opposites. There are so many incredible things about this movie that it’s really becoming difficult to touch upon all of them, so I’d definitely like to give some sort of a spotlight to the primary aspects that just clicked for me.

First of all, contrary to what many believe, I was flat-out enthralled whenever John David Washington’s Malcolm took the floor for one of his massive arguments. It was almost like he was having a back-and-forth debate with his own head, messing with himself, perhaps even torturing his mind to destruction while Marie just watched in silence. His biggest monologue was after reading a surprisingly warm LA Times review about his new film before tearing it apart due to its inaccuracies. The sheer insight that Levinson and Washington provide into the ignorance of movie reviewers was unbelievable. I don’t want to sound like a pretentious douche, but my mind was legitimately blown. Whenever this man showed up on-screen, he took an indelible piece of my heart and tore it apart. Its critiques on how art should be judged and how modern society looks upon racial and gender politics are, heartbreakingly, completely valid. Furthermore, this is a total technical achievement, and I would be surprised if the Oscars don’t give this some serious appreciation for the cinematography. The filming techniques used make Malcolm and Marie’s surroundings feel like characters, boxing them in, controlling them with their own emotions. As I mentioned, it makes both audiences and the characters feel confined, cramped, and enclosed in a tight space that further bursts the seams of their relationship.

Talking about the actual performances, both of them were actually quite phenomenal. When the running time got a little too long, or when the arguments became a tad too repetitive, John David Washington and Zendaya never turned me off. When in doubt, turn to these two and you’ll still have a terrific time. Washington is likely the stand-out of the film for me, and his big, egotistical bravado worked flawlessly for his character. However, what’s really impressive about both his performance and the screenwriting is that you also feel sympathy for the guy. You hate him for the majority of the movie, but it’s also emotionally painful to see him go through what he does. Zendaya was perfectly solid despite being a little one-note, but this overall worked for her character until she finally bursts in the final act. Her character has gone through severe emotional trauma with drug addiction in the past, and the back-and-forths the two have about how whether Malcolm’s main character in his movie was based on her or not are exceptional. For one moment you think Washington is straight-up exploiting her, but then in another, he explains himself with a detailed answer on why the character is based on multiple people from his life.

I understand all the hate on this film, I really do. It’s hard to warm up and enjoy a movie with two very unlikable, mean main characters and self-indulgent dialogue, but it sure worked for me. The camera work is gorgeous, the performances work for their roles flawlessly, and director Sam Levinson creates a stunning atmosphere while also giving both Malcolm and Marie considerable depth. In terms of flaws, I already stated them. Occasionally, it can feel like the arguments are simply filler moments used to make the movie longer. It could have been a lot shorter, perhaps even a short film itself, but it didn’t ruin the experience for me.

$PLURGE IT