The Anti-consumption Weirdos of Nomadland

[user 423]

A good read for nomads of a certain age:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/05/nomadland-oscars-1960s-consumerism/618822/

 

[abnorm]

Thanks Slow


""There is no way this movie is going to win an Academy Award, I thought as I watched the ceremony. But of course it did win: a picture that made $6 million and that lifted a middle finger to the imperatives of a sustainable movie business. When Frances McDormand walked to a stage built in a train station that has considerable homeless problems, holding Linda May’s hand, wearing a shapeless black dress, and howling like a wolf once she got there, I thought, There it is: the ’60s. Loony, brave, unconventional, and—half of them, anyway—menopausal. They don’t care what “society” thinks about them; they never did. They tried to warn us half a century ago. They saw what would come from endless consumerism, from a decades-long assault on the environment, from endless war, and they’re doing what they have always done: helping out the less fortunate, teaching people how to survive, giving lessons on how to eat cheaply, and haranguing the rest of us any chance they get—and God knows we need it. They’re old, and their bodies are wearing down. But they were always unafraid, always larger than the situation, and they’re dying with their boots on.""

AMEN

 

[MotorVation]

There's some truth in that article but I perceive the writer as a bit of a blowhard. The woman that wrote the book the movie is based on really did travel and live in a van and workcamped for a year and a half and that's why it's so realistic.

When the writer of the linked article said this about Fern's choice to not move in to her sister's house when her van broke down, she really showed her ignorance:

[font=AGaramondPro,]"All Fern wants is the money and a chance to get back on the road, an artistic choice more than a believable one"[/font]

 

[user 30781]

Wow. Thank you for sharing this.

 

[user 423]

When the writer of the linked article said this about Fern's choice to not move in to her sister's house when her van broke down, she really showed her ignorance:

[font=AGaramondPro,]"All Fern wants is the money and a chance to get back on the road, an artistic choice more than a believable one"[/font]

You are looking at it as a choice the director made? So the movie could continue along the same theme?

 

[MotorVation]

You are looking at it as a choice the director made? So the movie could continue along the same theme?

Nope, I'm looking at it as someone who would rather sleep in his poop bucket than move into his sister's house or anyone else's house for that matter. I have no doubt I'm not alone in this sentiment. 

Disclaimer:
I'm not strictly commenting on 'van life.' I'm also commenting on moving into someone else domain especially when it would be considered an act of charity. I'm a loner. Been living alone for many years. By choice, I wouldn't put my self in a position where my life would be dictated by someone else's rules

 

[user 423]

OK, I see what you mean and I would basically feel the same way about the charity thing.

I guess the writer of the article meant unbelievable to "most people". Still, the movie would have ended there if the director hadn't made that choice.

Here's a question that I had in that part of the movie:

Why did Fern have to travel to her sister's house to get the money in person? Why couldn't it have been wired or sent by PayPal,etc?

My thought was that the sister didn't want her husband to know about it and gave cash to Fern out of her "mad money" account.

 

[MotorVation]

Here's a question that I had in that part of the movie: 

Why did Fern have to travel to her sister's house to get the money in person?  Why couldn't it have been wired or sent by PayPal,etc?

My thought was that the sister didn't want her husband to know about it and gave cash to Fern out of her "mad money" account.

I had the same thought about her travelling in person. Weak point in the script I think. Maybe that was her sister's way of trying to suck her in? If so I didn't catch in the movie. I'll probably watch it again. I don't want to ruin the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it but that wasn't the only time she turned down an offer to get out of her van

 

[user 423]

LOL...I didn't even think about the spoiler thing. We best be quiet now..

 

[MotorVation]

My thought was that the sister didn't want her husband to know about it and gave cash to Fern out of her "mad money" account.

Sorry, I didn't catch that the first time I read it. You could very well be right. I think I'm gonna have to read the book

 

[eDJ_]

Atlantic is generally a worthwhile magazine.  And as trends come and go they will attempt to address their impact on their readership.  The demographic for readership of Atlantic wouldn't necessarily be Nomads, but their readers would likely be like Fern's sister.   And they would have followed the movie awards and wondered what ithis Nomad thing all about.

The scene in which Fern learns from a mechanic that the van won’t drive without that repair was the film’s one exciting moment. All along you’ve understood that these people are poor, and like all poor people (and many nonpoor people) in America, they are always one bad diagnosis, one necessary car repair, one rotting tooth away from catastrophe. I wondered if this was when Fern would fall below the line that separated the nomads from people living in shelters. But the next thing you know, she’s quarreling with her sister on the phone, sitting sullenly on a bus—and being welcomed into her sister’s comfortable world, where a lovely bedroom is waiting for her and which her sister asks her to move into. All Fern wants is the money and a chance to get back on the road, an artistic choice more than a believable one.

In the early 2000's I was active on other Forums and spoke of my travels in my rig and how I saw it to be a growing trend in the future.  I was teased and laughed at with many citing the SNL antics of Chris Farley. (as Matt Foley...a motivational speaker living in a Van down by the river) I explained that after WW2 a lot of Army Air Force pilots came home and purchased motorcycles and took to the road for some time. (few of them could afford an airplane with it's cost and continue flying)  In their time on the road they could blow off steam and find themselves in civilian life as they traveled.  It's nothing new.
John Steinbeck traveled with his Poodle "Charlie", and later Charles Kuralt traveled and produced, "On The Road".  Even in Henry Ford's time there were early renditions of RV's that were purpose built for outdoor recreation.

I understand the writer stating that speech filled, message flic's are trying and stressful.  Yet I still see some similarities in this to "The Grapes of Wrath".  The writer remarks:

I live my life on the fading dot where these four demographics converge

And I think this is where the intrigue for the film derives with the readership of Atlantic, and Caitlin Flanagiin's article.  Most all of their readers who live in the comfort of Fern's sister can see themselves
in this picture.  It's that age old nightmare for struggling middle class people and even well established
ones who know how fragile life can be. Their haunting fear is becoming old with no money and little chance of earning a living. Yet there are those who have learned to live a more minimalist life of mobility where their worries & fears aren't as great.  If they have a few thousand dollars in rainy day funds they can get into a new rig,  build it out again, and continue.  It's just less expensive to live in this way.

I think the guys with mechanical/vehicle experience would be looking to pass their rig off to a beginner when the mileage grows high. (a rig with some usable time left on it)  They would constantly be on the look out to find newer better rigs to service their needs.  In the case of Fern, she may not have those skills and I think this is what Caitlin's article showcases with an older menopausal woman trying to live the Nomad lifestyle. (without much money, car smarts, and a dependable Plan B at her disposal)

What makes sense to me about Fern's return to her Sisters home of "eloquence" is the implied message of "why wouldn't you want to live like this" ?  Most men would understand the "grow up and settle down" theme in that too.

 

[Tony's Dream]

I finally saw it lasst weekend. I was a little disappointed in the beginning because I thought it would start with her getting the van and setting it up, and the story of why she started. Instead it started with her on the road already and told the story backward exlaining things. I was torn between it being a movie or a documentery. Was a little hard to follow as to why she was traveling and what she was doing.

Yes, we are all caught up in the money game. When it was the man making money and the woman running the house, it all made sence. Now both work and many are still not living comfortably....so everyone chases the big money and hoping for happiness. The movie showed how one can enjoy life without all the trappings.

 

[user 30781]

I had the same thought about her travelling in person. Weak point in the script I think. Maybe that was her sister's way of trying to suck her in? If so I didn't catch in the movie. I'll probably watch it again. I don't want to ruin the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it but that wasn't the only time she turned down an offer to get out of her van

I thought it was a weak point in the script too.

I've seen comments by people here and there "She had the opportunity to move into a home TWICE and didn't take it.  That was so unbelievable!!"

I understood it perfectly and I'm not even a nomad.

The woman who played Fern's sister was actually Frances McDormand's best friend irl.  Maybe that's why the scene was written.

 

[MotorVation]

There are people people and there are no people people. When I'm at home I'm a no people people. That's one of the reasons I have a door.

I'm not a true nomad. This is my second winter and spring out and about. I still have a dump in Florida. I don't make any money from it but it does pay for itself because I rent a room out. That room has its own entrance/exit. When I'm there I have complete privacy.

I've been a Florida resident for 30 years. If I never see another palm tree that would be okey dokey wit' me. I love it here out west. There's a lot more freedom out here due to the availability of public land. I'm part of the public, so I do make use of it. That's why it exists and that's why it's called public land.  :s

 Oh yeah, you've never met my sister.

I was truly homeless back when I was a drunk. No car, no nothing. I slept outside and I wasn't even welcome there.
 When I finally hit a detox in 1991 I had one extra shirt. I know the deal. The nomad way of life is an excellent way to avoid true homelessness. (For people who still have some resources, brain cells and a drivers licence).

 

[MotorVation]

I thought it was a weak point in the script too.

I've seen comments by people here and there "She had the opportunity to move into a home TWICE and didn't take it.  That was so unbelievable!!"

I understood it perfectly and I'm not even a nomad.

The woman who played Fern's sister was actually Frances McDormand's best friend irl.  Maybe that's why the scene was written.

Could be. I really need to get the book and read it

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I think that scene of going to her sisters made sense. It was going to take a few days to fix the van, a way to tell us a bit more about Ferns childhood, the town and the family she came from. The second scene at her would be boyfriends sons house again let’s us know how she just wants her independence and that it is not like she hasn’t been offered an easier softer way or she didn’t have alternate choices from people who genuinely cared about her. These scenes let us know that she had always been a bit odd, introverted with questionable social skills as she leaves without a goodbye or a thank you.

 

[MotorVation]

I have the soft cover book in my Amazon shopping cart. Now I just have to wait for another reason to head to Flagstaff. I'm about 80 miles away and that's the closest place I can get it shipped. Right now it's $11.19.

I felt uncomfortable when she was indoors! She's one of my favorite actresses for good reason

 

[swankiewheels]

OK, I see what you mean and I would basically feel the same way about the charity thing.

I guess the writer of the article meant unbelievable to "most people". Still, the movie would have ended there if the director hadn't made that choice.

Here's a question that I had in that part of the movie:

Why did Fern have to travel to her sister's house to get the money in person? Why couldn't it have been wired or sent by PayPal,etc?

My thought was that the sister didn't want her husband to know about it and gave cash to Fern out of her "mad money" account.

NO! The sister wanted to get control over Fern. If she had just wired the money, they would have been the end of it, she would not have had a chance to try and manipulate her. The only way she could get the money was to go after it and that in itself would be hard enough for an independent nomad.

 

[swankiewheels]

Could be. I really need to get the book and read it

Fern and Melissa are not in the book. They were fictional characters in the movie.

 

[maki2]

Fiction is often as nonsensical as real life