Nomadland (2020)

When people look back on the modern (or well, most current) economic collapse back in 2008, they are probably going to remember a lot of people losing their houses, cars, jobs, savings and retirement money.  What they probably won't remember is the face of the millions of Americans who were displaced and needed to figure out a way to simply survive when the collective stuff hit the fans.  In Nomadland, we to see a close-up look at that face with Fern (the incomparable Frances McDormand), a Nevada boomer who lived in a one industry town and when the business went bust, she lost everything.  When most people are looking at retirement, Fern is looking at the possibility of being homeless in her late 50s.  Instead of greeting it with fear and anger, she decides to lean into the future and explore the American west as a nomad, living out of her van.  Along the way, she meets a cast of characters that also live their lives as modern day pioneers, working in a gig economy wherever they land.  As she begins to figure out that she isn't alone in this new world of the modern day dystopia that fell at their feet, she makes connections outside of "conventional" living that proves the world is not as cold and lonely as the collapse of everything around her looks.  Frances McDormand is great, as always, and she even takes some time to show us that she's still got it by going full frontal naked while floating down a stream in the middle of nowhere.  Beautiful landscapes are muted by the ever ageless Academy Award winner in this sprawling flick!