NOMADLAND and the Search for Meaning

A major achievement by writer/director Chloé Zhao with a thoroughly arresting performance by Frances McDormand, Nomadland is an affecting film that leaves a strong, emotional response.

Beginning in 2011 in Nevada and traversing the Midwest, a middle aged woman, Fern, leads a solitary existence living in her camper like others who follow this nomadic way of life.  It’s a life of struggle and getting by with meager resources. Her world consists of bonding with those she meets along the way while taking whatever menial jobs are available and staying at various camps and lots where she can.  Her cross country travels become a physical and contemplative venture in search of meaning and her own truths.

Unfolding in a series of episodic vignettes (like a Terrence Malick narrative), the film explores the world of transients living off the grid. Each has a story and reason for being in this circumstance.  Many are victims of a poor economy; some have suffered the loss of a loved one. Comparable to the Depression era dustbowl, it’s a whole subculture community where there are no heroes or villains but rather survivors helping one another and hoping for a better future.  

McDormand is completely authentic as Fern, a proud woman, searching for her identity, who reconnects with her past as she takes stock of an open ended life and whose personal journey becomes our journey, though one filled with pain and regret. David Strathairn lends strong support as a fellow traveler, but the predominantly unknown cast contributes to the film’s realism.

With its moody score and beautifully shot, unfiltered landscape, the film’s power is in its honesty and deceptive simplicity.  It’s really about the small moments that add up to create texture for this film, one of the year’s best.   

**** of **** stars (on Hulu)

The Microcosm of MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

 

Playwright August Wilson (Fences) is getting another film adaptation with Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, thanks to producers like Denzel Washington (and Broadway director George C. Wolfe) and the result is a mesmerizing acting ensemble highlighted by its two stars at the height of their power.

Blues singer Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) is a legend in the South in 1927, and when she heads north to a recording studio to cut a new record with her band, conflicts ignite as her traditional, musical arrangements stubbornly clash against newer styles amid changing times.  Between recording sessions, the musicians ruminate on life, racism, hope, and regrets. Among them is a brash, energetic trumpeter, Levee (Chadwick Boseman), with dreams of making it big with his new ideas much to the amusement of his fellow players.  But his facade belies a dark, traumatic past that emerges unexpectedly and threatens his world.

This is a view of the black experience of that period, and though it can’t quite shake its theatrical origins, this never distracts from its splendid cast especially the two leads.  Davis, who completely transforms her appearance and voice (she did some singing too), wholly embodies the gifted singer; her headstrong diva is something to behold. Boseman has a choice role and makes the most of it, exuding bravado, joy, pain, and vengeance. At a brisk 94 minutes, this well paced narrative is that rare instance where a film could actually have been longer to feature more of the pair.   

It is unfortunate that this was the final showcase for the late Boseman and what would have been a glorious chapter in his ascending career. Savor this performance and the great Davis, and know that Oscar looks kindly at such bravura.

**** of **** stars  (on Netflix)

The World Was Watching THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

 

A detailed dramatization of incendiary events leading to the infamous Democratic Convention of 1968 and its aftermath, The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a compelling film with a stellar ensemble led by writer/director Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network).

In the summer of 1968, the country is mired in an escalating Vietnam War with mounting casualties, and with the shocking assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy, a Presidential election looms. Disparate groups led by, among others, Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), Bobby Seale, Jerry Rubin, and Abbie Hoffman (a standout Sacha Baron Cohen), plan to descend on Chicago to oppose the war on the ‘eve’ of the Democratic National Convention. However, Mayor Daley amasses heavily armed police, and the stage is set for an explosive confrontation and ensuing trial that captures the nation’s attention.

Sorkin’s excellent screenplay, which has the challenging task of depicting an array of different personalities with similar yet self-serving agendas, has its moments of wit and drama as it raises questions of free speech, racism, and a nation undergoing a seismic change.  Despite cursory sketches of each participant, what is revealing is how the film portrays them as intent on non-violent protests yet branded as radical revolutionaries by law enforcement who employ questionable tactics.  The lengthy trial is shown to be an imperfect judicial proceeding filled with bias, missteps, and outright political maneuvering.  With parallels to current headlines, this is the sort of film Oliver Stone could have made.

To distill the notorious events into a feature film (rather than a miniseries) is an impressive feat especially with its large, talented cast (also including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mark Rylance, and Frank Langella). It’s a fascinating chronicle and one of the year’s best films.

**** of **** stars       (on Netflix)

The Grand Thespian

 

Actor Christopher Plummer passes away at 91 after a long career on stage, television and movies.  

He won an Emmy Award as the tragic banker in The Moneychangers miniseries and an Oscar for Beginners when he was at 82, the oldest winner.  With two Tonys, he was one of the few actors with a trifecta in acting awards.

He was equally adept at playing heroic figures (Triple Cross) and juicy villains (Dreamscape, The Silent Partner). He played a Shakespeare quoting Klingon with gusto in Star Trek VI: the Undiscovered Country. 

A consummate character actor, he featured in such recent roles as The Insider, A Beautiful Mind, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Syriana, National Treasure, All the Money in the World, Disney's Up, and Knives Out. But his most famous role as Captain VonTrapp in The Sound of Music will be what he is forever remembered. 

Arguably busier in recent years than ever, he never stopped working- the true thespian to the end.

A Consumate Actor

 

Actor Hal Holbrook has passed at 95. This talent of stage, screen and TV was Oscar nominated, won five Emmys of 12 nominations, and won a Tony Award for a lifetime signature role as Mark Twain. Although he had a successful career in such popular films as All the Presidents Men, Magnum Force, Creepshow, Wall Street, The Firm, Lincoln, and Into the Wild, he dominated the 1970s TV landscape with memorable roles including Pueblo, That Certain Summer, and Sandberg's Lincoln. A consumate actor.