Nomadland wins

Van Living Forum

Help Support Van Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I read the book and thought it was pretty good.  Based on what I have heard about the movie, I don't think I want to see it.  Sounds very romanticized.
Also I have been at this so called "Van-life" for over 10 years and am afraid of the unfounded popularity of this life.  Kind of like Dalmatians after that movie.  Dalmatians aren't that nice from what I understand.
 
I just read that Michael Wolf Snyder who mixed sound for Nomadland was found dead in his apartment on March 1st after taking his own life.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/nomadland-production-sound-mixer-michael-220559079.html

As someone who understands how it feels to suffer from depression; i can say that as difficult as it might be to get through to someone who is, never miss a chance to reach out to someone you know is suffering from it. Even a simple word of kindness might be all it takes to get someone through one more difficult day.
 
There was no Fern in the book. The author set out to write a non-fiction book about people living in vehicles and mostly working. There was no Fern or person close to her in the book. If they wanted to make a movie about nomads fine. But don’t make a film and say it has anything to do with the book.

I’m a huge reader (a book a day or every two days) and so tired of them using bestselling or popular books to sell their films that have nothing to do with the movie. I didn’t think the film was great and I’m a fan of Frances McDormand but didn’t think the film deserved an award. To each their own opinion.

Plus it’s going to have repercussions when a lot of people buy vans. Where I live (my parents bought their home for $29,000) homes by the ocean are now $4-24 million yeah really. Well the rest of the county discovered us and on the walking trails over looking the ocean have been overwhelmed by people leaving garbage so high you have to wade through it, dirty diapers, dog poop so the city has decided that even though we have the highest property tax in the country and people spend millions to live there they are now charging $10. for 3 hours to park there with a $200. fine if you go over.

Making a movie like this has already drawn attention and outrage about all the RVs parked in our (obscenely overpriced area) and there are now City Hall petitions and meetings to kick them out.

So to sum it up: didn’t think the film did anything but piggyback on the success of the book, will draw attention to people living in vehicles (we get more and more each day because of our perfect weather) and will make it harder and harder to find places to park. In my opinion.
 
Agreed. I was about to post something like that in the "with the explosion of full time" thread, but that thread already has plenty of replies along those lines. I can't believe some people are speculating that a boom in people seeking the Vanlife is going to make authorities more accepting of it. I don't believe it, anyway. Even less property tax revenue for their towns? Even more strange vehicles with the person's entire life in the backseat crowding parking spaces and "blighting" established neighborhoods?

Authorities only tolerate it to a certain degree in some places because it's not very common or they don't have clear rules, but in places where vandwelling is an established thing, like in California, they are clamping down on it big time. Occasionally people complain on behalf of the vandwellers, and the towns and cities "acquiesce" by designating a single parking lot for 20 cars... but they can't facilitate that for thousands, and they won't.

Once more and more people start trying this, states are going to crack down. Businesses will, too. I traveled from one end of the country to the other and was welcomed in every Wal-Mart I stopped at because at any given Wal-Mart, there's only a few rigs in the back of the parking lot. Once half the parking lot is full of vandwellers at night... Wal-Mart is going to stop allowing it.

Now, even if a million more people started vandwelling, there is enough space out West for everyone, but very few new vandwellers are going to go 400 miles off the beaten path in Oklahoma. People are still going to congregate around areas like the Quartzsite area, etc. Once enough trash and problems are created, there will be more restrictions on public land, too, probably.

I believe we're at the twilight of vandwelling, not the dawn.
 
LERCA said:
There was no Fern in the book. The author set out to write a non-fiction book about people living in vehicles and mostly working. There was no Fern or person close to her in the book. If they wanted to make a movie about nomads fine. But don’t make a film and say it has anything to do with the book.

Actually I read the book also and though there was no character in the book named Fern having watched the movie it seems fern is an amalgam of several characters from the book as she got the stories of many of the books smaller characters. 

LERCA said:
Plus it’s going to have repercussions when a lot of people buy vans. Where I live (my parents bought their home for $29,000) homes by the ocean are now $4-24 million yeah really. Well the rest of the county discovered us and on the walking trails over looking the ocean have been overwhelmed by people leaving garbage so high you have to wade through it, dirty diapers, dog poop so the city has decided that even though we have the highest property tax in the country and people spend millions to live there they are now charging $10. for 3 hours to park there with a $200. fine if you go over.

Making a movie like this has already drawn attention and outrage about all the RVs parked in our (obscenely overpriced area) and there are now City Hall petitions and meetings to kick them out.

So to sum it up: didn’t think the film did anything but piggyback on the success of the book, will draw attention to people living in vehicles (we get more and more each day because of our perfect weather) and will make it harder and harder to find places to park. In my opinion.

Actually I think the movie was good at showing a balance of the good and bad aspects of vanlife.  I mean one scene she is staring at a beautiful vista and a minute later she is pooping in a bucket in her van. I doubt bucket pooping is going to attract many people to the life. 

MG1912 said:
Agreed.  I was about to post something like that in the "with the explosion of full time" thread, but that thread already has plenty of replies along those lines.  I can't believe some people are speculating that a boom in people seeking the Vanlife is going to make authorities more accepting of it.  I don't believe it, anyway.  Even less property tax revenue for their towns?  Even more strange vehicles with the person's entire life in the backseat crowding parking spaces and "blighting" established neighborhoods? 

I started that thread and I agree with most of what you just said, though I do think "a certain type" of vandweller will be welcome by the authorities as the number of middle income "Digital Nomads" grows and they are easy to spot. 

emma-ruben_web.jpg


But I doubt such acceptance will filter down to rank & file nomads and those forced into their vans do to the economy.

[img=400x300]https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/...th=660&height=423&format=pjpg&auto=webp[/img]
MG1912 said:
Authorities only tolerate it to a certain degree in some places because it's not very common or they don't have clear rules, but in places where vandwelling is an established thing, like in California, they are clamping down on it big time.  Occasionally people complain on behalf of the vandwellers, and the towns and cities "acquiesce" by designating a single parking lot for 20 cars... but they can't facilitate that for thousands, and they won't.

 That's why we should not gather in one place in cities, I've been on the road for a week and have only camped with others in un incorporated wooded areas away from the road

MG1912 said:
Once more and more people start trying this, states are going to crack down.  Businesses will, too.  I traveled from one end of the country to the other and was welcomed in every Wal-Mart I stopped at because at any given Wal-Mart, there's only a few rigs in the back of the parking lot.  Once half the parking lot is full of vandwellers at night... Wal-Mart is going to stop allowing it.

I doubt there will ever be that many nomads. But if I saw more than 4-5 vans, campers and RV's in one place I would find another place to park lol

MG1912 said:
Now, even if a million more people started vandwelling, there is enough space out West for everyone, but very few new vandwellers are going to go 400 miles off the beaten path in Oklahoma.  People are still going to congregate around areas like the Quartzsite area, etc.  Once enough trash and problems are created, there will be more restrictions on public land, too, probably.

I believe we're at the twilight of vandwelling, not the dawn.


or they will simply attempt to price out those who are more likely to trash up the place.
 
"or they will simply attempt to price out those who are more likely to trash up the place."

 And who are those likely to do this... care to share any profiling techniques?
Would they be the ones with purple hair?.. men with long hair?.. people that smoke pot?... or is it people of a different skin color or some strange religion?
There is NO SUCH thing as a "LIKELY" to do something... that's stereotype and a social construct to deny others equality and maintain class divisions... Its a new day out there and the pendulum is swinging back hard against those who would deny others. 
Dinosaur thought thats is dying out rapidly.

EVERYONE is WELCOME to participate.
 
You are absolutely correct I should have worded that better, I was speaking on perception and not reality, so when I say such things in the future keep in mind that I am speaking on perception I don't have, but those of "middleclass, manicured lawn having, PTA bake sale, types"(the types I grew up around and can't stand to be around) but I do know how they think.
 
I’m not criticizing nomads although it may seems so since I was one and may be again. They are part of the general public who I have watched destroy many beautiful parks and neighborhoods. There is no way to predict who will respect the environment and who won’t. I’ve seen beautifully dressed people get out of Mercedes and toss trash all over and people in ancient cars not leave a mark.

However unfortunately even if most people are not trashing places, those who are,  are leaving enormous messes. I used to clean up my local park where I walked every Monday now I’m too overwhelmed. This as I said has led to fees for very short term parking and I promise you will rapidly lead to not being allowed to park overnight anywhere. No one will be picked out. Everyone will suffer.

Prior to the lockdown I was taking a class across the street from the LA Harbor. There were about 8 blocks of tents. The area I went to had a view of the harbor and benches and grass and the police routinely broke down tents and tossed people’s stuff in the trash. I know because I used bring them dog and human food and helped a veteran get into permanent free housing and we had to go get all his paperwork because the police had trashed his tent and destroyed his belongings.

It doesn’t matter what you or your rig look like you will pay the big price of those who are ruining nice, safe areas.
I think most people on this site tend to be in rural areas. I understand having to be in the city for appointments but otherwise if this continues it’s going to get bad.

I’m deeply sorry because I consider myself one of the nomads and am certainly living on less money than most nomads so I get it. I just feel so incredibly frustrated that people don’t respect either nature or an urban environment, both.


Edit: in response to what someone wrote, a lot of people here have bought those $185,00 gray van RVs which are small enough to be permitted to be parked in driveways. But I promise if you are a digital nomad in the same RV parked on the street (overnight parking is illegal in many places here anyway) you will not be welcomed. The communities simply don’t want people living in vehicles. Period. And while the worst neighborhoods are being gentrified slowly we still have very dangerous neighborhoods where you would not be safe spending the night. Crime is way up especially robbery and burglary.
 
ChileSauceCritic said:
or they will simply attempt to price out those who are more likely to trash up the place.

I don’t get it. Price out? On BLM? It’s free. Who is they? Who is more likely?

I participated in a big clean up a few years ago in Ehrenberg. I’d say about 90% of the trash looked like it was from someone’s home not an RVer. Not saying all RVers are clean but this crap (washing machines, a couple of boats, lots of big metal stuff, barbed wire, house toilets, other house renovating materials, sure couldn’t have come from them.

I’m out in the desert almost daily on trails. You don’t see much where it isn’t easy to back a truck in and dump. There is a large community of youngish folks that you can find begging on corners and I’ve driven thru various of their camps. It’s usually pretty trashy. Really I guess I must say that everyone that I’ve been through had lots of trash. I don’t discriminate against them or anyone else I’m just saying what my eyes saw. I’m sure there are those that don’t do that but I haven’t seen it.
 
...and the sound man loses...Hollyweird at its worst...how many Oscars buys a side of beef...
 
I haven’t seen this yet, because I am traveling, but it is at the top of my list once I am home.

Reading the reviews, they are really pretty excellent.

I’m glad the movie and the stories it tells has gone over so well, for several reasons.
 
Zmann said:
...and the sound man loses...Hollyweird at its worst...how many Oscars buys a side of beef...

What exactly is your point?
 
^
IDK exactly what he's trying to say but most Oscar winners can afford to buy plenty of beef.
 
I must have been living under a rock for the last six years. I wasn't even aware they had made a movie!
 
The sound man committed suicide...and an Oscar is USELESS as legal tender it's worthless can't buy anything!
 
I saw the movie today, I am a big fan of Frances Mc, however the movie I found depressing, lonely, uninspiring, lacking in story line if it was supposed to be fiction and not a documentary, I was confused which it was trying to be. At times especially the RTR bits I found corney. I came away thinking America has vast areas of ugly with a lot of lost souls wondering around. A focus on mental health issues, led one to beleive the stories of the weirdo in a white van down by the river were true without the appealing riverside camp. Not one person or character made you want their lifestyle or gave you the sense that they were happy doing what they are doing. These were characters with major issues, carrying unProcessed baggage. I am glad in some way that they never dramatized or romanticized vandwelling as this movie will not attract a lot of people to this lifestyle, I think the opposite, which is a blessing. It stayed with the broken heart, lost dream theme with scenes of Empire, frozen nights in a heaterless van, and even when they had beautiful areas like the seaside they chose a rainy cold windy day to film. I give it a generous 5 out of 10. And that’s all I have to say about that.;)
 
I watched it over the weekend, and it was a bit dark, tho Fern was dealing with multiple life losses and trying to carve out a new life for herself as a nomad.

For all who choose this life and are otherwise pretty whole, there are many, many walking wounded out there who feel forced to live in their vehicles for whatever reason.

I’ve never been to RTR, but those scenes seemed realistic from what I have read and heard.

I loved when Fern gave away a potholder, as I’ve been crocheting potholders and dishcloths to give away for about 15 years.
 
I just finished watching the movie. I think it was very well done. I've been to and camped in some of those places, seen some of those things and feel some of those feelings.

'nuff said
 

Latest posts

Top