Searchlight Pictures has released the trailer for the upcoming drama Nomadland starring Academy Award Winner Frances McDormand.
Directed by Chloé Zhao (it marks the third feature film from this director), the movie features McDormand as Fern, a former substitute teacher who, following the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad.
The cast also includes David Strathairn and Peter Spears and real nomads Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells as Fern’s mentors and comrades in her exploration through the vast landscape of the American West.
The trailer gives viewers a glimpse at Fern’s life, following her as she’s traveling and looking for a job. During a conversation with a teenage girl who reveals that her mom had told her that Fern is homeless, Fern says she is houseless, which is not the same thing. When a recruitment officer suggests she should consider early retirement, because “it’s a though time,” Fern answers that she needs and likes work.
She is shown working in various places, traveling a lot, and sharing stories with other nomads.
The songs used in the trailer are Ludovico Einaudi’s “Oltremare” and “Ascent“.
Nomadland will be released in the U.S. theaters on February 19, 2021.
Zhao won the People’s Choice award at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, the first time a film has won both top honors at the festivals. Nomadland won Best Film, Best Director and Best Cinematography at the Boston Society of Film Critics Awards on Sunday, and it is nominated for Best Feature at the 2021 Gotham Independent Spirit Awards, along with McDormand for Best Actress.
