Review: Nomadland

[WinterBorn]

So, I finally watched this tonight. Pretty amazing. And hard, for me, not to take really, really personally. The funny thing is, I've been following cheaprvliving.com (Bob Well's website) for over ten years. I had no idea he was featured prominently in the movie.

The only complaint I might have about the movie is that it focused almost exclusively on the lowest end of the nomad culture. And, granted, one of the most beautiful things about "van life" is that it offers real freedom to people with limited means. But there's a continuum of people who live that way, from the most basic van survivalists, to well-off retired couples living in fancy motorhomes. It's not always, or even usually, a lifestyle of destitute poverty.

Real freedom. Freedom to do what? Is shitting in a bucket your idea of freedom? Being sick in the back of a van? How about just dying on the road.

Well off people still have their homes. They have somewhere to go. They are not homeless.

There are plenty of retirees that sell their home and go on the road. They live in upscale class A motorhomes or nice 5th wheels.

 

[gipper]

So, I finally watched this tonight. Pretty amazing. And hard, for me, not to take really, really personally. The funny thing is, I've been following cheaprvliving.com (Bob Well's website) for over ten years. I had no idea he was featured prominently in the movie.

The only complaint I might have about the movie is that it focused almost exclusively on the lowest end of the nomad culture. And, granted, one of the most beautiful things about "van life" is that it offers real freedom to people with limited means. But there's a continuum of people who live that way, from the most basic van survivalists, to well-off retired couples living in fancy motorhomes. It's not always, or even usually, a lifestyle of destitute poverty.

Real freedom. Freedom to do what? Is shitting in a bucket your idea of freedom? Being sick in the back of a van? How about just dying on the road.

Well off people still have their homes. They have somewhere to go. They are not homeless.

There are plenty of retirees that sell their home and go on the road. They live in upscale class A motorhomes or nice 5th wheels.

Yes and it is liberating. No real estate to worry about and pay for, is liberating. Living in nature is liberating. Visiting beautiful places and eating great fresh food, is liberating. Plus RVers as a group, are generally very nice people.

 

[WinterBorn]

So, I finally watched this tonight. Pretty amazing. And hard, for me, not to take really, really personally. The funny thing is, I've been following cheaprvliving.com (Bob Well's website) for over ten years. I had no idea he was featured prominently in the movie.

The only complaint I might have about the movie is that it focused almost exclusively on the lowest end of the nomad culture. And, granted, one of the most beautiful things about "van life" is that it offers real freedom to people with limited means. But there's a continuum of people who live that way, from the most basic van survivalists, to well-off retired couples living in fancy motorhomes. It's not always, or even usually, a lifestyle of destitute poverty.

Real freedom. Freedom to do what? Is shitting in a bucket your idea of freedom? Being sick in the back of a van? How about just dying on the road.

Well off people still have their homes. They have somewhere to go. They are not homeless.

There are plenty of retirees that sell their home and go on the road. They live in upscale class A motorhomes or nice 5th wheels.

Yes and it is liberating. No real estate to worry about and pay for, is liberating. Living in nature is liberating. Visiting beautiful places and eating great fresh food, is liberating. Plus RVers as a group, are generally very nice people.

I agree with everything you said.

Especially the part about RVers being nice people. We have found that to be true. In fact, since we have been shopping for our next RV, we tend to look at the ones people have in the parks. Everyone we approached and asked about their RV has been friendly and helpful. These help far more than any reviews on YouTube.

I could not count the amount of times we have been invited to join people around a fire or for dinner. Great folks.

 

[dblack]

So, I finally watched this tonight. Pretty amazing. And hard, for me, not to take really, really personally. The funny thing is, I've been following cheaprvliving.com (Bob Well's website) for over ten years. I had no idea he was featured prominently in the movie.

The only complaint I might have about the movie is that it focused almost exclusively on the lowest end of the nomad culture. And, granted, one of the most beautiful things about "van life" is that it offers real freedom to people with limited means. But there's a continuum of people who live that way, from the most basic van survivalists, to well-off retired couples living in fancy motorhomes. It's not always, or even usually, a lifestyle of destitute poverty.

Real freedom. Freedom to do what? Is shitting in a bucket your idea of freedom? Being sick in the back of a van? How about just dying on the road.

Yes. All of the above, but much, much more. Along with those "features" of van life, they can go where they want, when they want. They aren't tied to the debt and commitments usually associated with a fixed domicile.

Well off people still have their homes. They have somewhere to go. They are not homeless.

But some of them are houseless. On purpose.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

The movie, Nomadland glorifies a sick and perverted lifestyle.

Trying to figure out of you are trolling, or actually serious.
If serious, you are confused.
As the character in the movie says " I am not homeless, I am houseless, there is a difference"
A person living on the streets, or in a tent city etc. = are overwhelmingly mentally ill, having numerous mental disorders... and/or major drug addictions that render them fucked.
These people are not, at all, mentally ill or in any way living under the same circumstances as homeless.
They choose to live an alternate lifestyle free from the debts and confines of owning a home. And instead live in RVs or large vans.

 

[EvilCat Breath]

The movie, Nomadland glorifies a sick and perverted lifestyle.

Trying to figure out of you are trolling, or actually serious.
If serious, you are confused.
As the character in the movie says " I am not homeless, I am houseless, there is a difference"
A person living on the streets, or in a tent city etc. = are overwhelmingly mentally ill, having numerous mental disorders... and/or major drug addictions that render them fucked.
These people are not, at all, mentally ill or in any way living under the same circumstances as homeless.
They choose to live an alternate lifestyle free from the debts and confines of owning a home. And instead live in RVs or large vans.

Ohhh. See we were houseless. On purpose. It was no accident. At all times my parents believed they were living an alternative lifestyle. Jack Keurac was my mother's role model. They loved it. No rent to pay. No boss to please. No punching a clock. They called it perfect freedom.

We didn't have a van. Or even a car. It was just the three of us and the open road. Hitchhiking was quite safe in those days.

Perfect freedom.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

The movie, Nomadland glorifies a sick and perverted lifestyle.

Trying to figure out of you are trolling, or actually serious.
If serious, you are confused.
As the character in the movie says " I am not homeless, I am houseless, there is a difference"
A person living on the streets, or in a tent city etc. = are overwhelmingly mentally ill, having numerous mental disorders... and/or major drug addictions that render them fucked.
These people are not, at all, mentally ill or in any way living under the same circumstances as homeless.
They choose to live an alternate lifestyle free from the debts and confines of owning a home. And instead live in RVs or large vans.

Ohhh. See we were houseless. On purpose. It was no accident. At all times my parents believed they were living an alternative lifestyle. Jack Keurac was my mother's role model. They loved it. No rent to pay. No boss to please. No punching a clock. They called it perfect freedom.

We didn't have a van. Or even a car. It was just the three of us and the open road. Hitchhiking was quite safe in those days.

Perfect freedom.

Not related to the OP or the movie

 

[WinterBorn]

The movie, Nomadland glorifies a sick and perverted lifestyle.

Trying to figure out of you are trolling, or actually serious.
If serious, you are confused.
As the character in the movie says " I am not homeless, I am houseless, there is a difference"
A person living on the streets, or in a tent city etc. = are overwhelmingly mentally ill, having numerous mental disorders... and/or major drug addictions that render them fucked.
These people are not, at all, mentally ill or in any way living under the same circumstances as homeless.
They choose to live an alternate lifestyle free from the debts and confines of owning a home. And instead live in RVs or large vans.

Ohhh. See we were houseless. On purpose. It was no accident. At all times my parents believed they were living an alternative lifestyle. Jack Keurac was my mother's role model. They loved it. No rent to pay. No boss to please. No punching a clock. They called it perfect freedom.

We didn't have a van. Or even a car. It was just the three of us and the open road. Hitchhiking was quite safe in those days.

Perfect freedom.

As has been said, this is not related to the OP or the movie.

And while I have no doubt it was a horrific way to grow up, the Nomads of today are nothing like that. For one thing, they do have a vehicle that they live in. For another thing, if anyone was hitch hiking with a child they would likely lose custody.

 

[EvilCat Breath]

The movie, Nomadland glorifies a sick and perverted lifestyle.

Trying to figure out of you are trolling, or actually serious.
If serious, you are confused.
As the character in the movie says " I am not homeless, I am houseless, there is a difference"
A person living on the streets, or in a tent city etc. = are overwhelmingly mentally ill, having numerous mental disorders... and/or major drug addictions that render them fucked.
These people are not, at all, mentally ill or in any way living under the same circumstances as homeless.
They choose to live an alternate lifestyle free from the debts and confines of owning a home. And instead live in RVs or large vans.

Ohhh. See we were houseless. On purpose. It was no accident. At all times my parents believed they were living an alternative lifestyle. Jack Keurac was my mother's role model. They loved it. No rent to pay. No boss to please. No punching a clock. They called it perfect freedom.

We didn't have a van. Or even a car. It was just the three of us and the open road. Hitchhiking was quite safe in those days.

Perfect freedom.

As has been said, this is not related to the OP or the movie.

And while I have no doubt it was a horrific way to grow up, the Nomads of today are nothing like that. For one thing, they do have a vehicle that they live in. For another thing, if anyone was hitch hiking with a child they would likely lose custody.

Actually my parents did lose custody. I was very sick i had impetigo. Open bleeding sores. A man and his 13 year old daughter picked us up. Hitchhiking was very common in the early 50s. They took us right to my grandmother's home in New York. This guy a stranger did not offer money or food. He went to the police.

It took about a year before they settled down enough to get me back. Many years later i was in my 30s my mother confided that the days on the road were the happiest of her life and she never forgave me for forcing her to give it up.

Even if it makes the nomads overjoyed it is a sick and perverted way to live. There are families waiting to hear that the bodies of Grandma and Grandpa were found ambushed along the side of the road. Get sick, break a leg, you die where you fall and no one knows.

Of course people should not be prevented from being self destructive. People are allowed to live self destructive lifestyles or with self destructive habits all the time. Movies like Nomadland do for van living what Leaving Las Vegas did for alcoholism.

 

[dblack]

Even if it makes the nomads overjoyed it is a sick and perverted way to live.

You're conflating shitty parenting with a valid lifestyle choice.

There's nothing sick or perverted about going mobile.

 

[candycorn]

So, I finally watched this tonight. Pretty amazing. And hard, for me, not to take really, really personally. The funny thing is, I've been following cheaprvliving.com (Bob Well's website) for over ten years. I had no idea he was featured prominently in the movie.

The only complaint I might have about the movie is that it focused almost exclusively on the lowest end of the nomad culture. And, granted, one of the most beautiful things about "van life" is that it offers real freedom to people with limited means. But there's a continuum of people who live that way, from the most basic van survivalists, to well-off retired couples living in fancy motorhomes. It's not always, or even usually, a lifestyle of destitute poverty.

Real freedom. Freedom to do what? Is shitting in a bucket your idea of freedom? Being sick in the back of a van? How about just dying on the road.

Well off people still have their homes. They have somewhere to go. They are not homeless.

There are plenty of retirees that sell their home and go on the road. They live in upscale class A motorhomes or nice 5th wheels.

Yes and it is liberating. No real estate to worry about and pay for, is liberating. Living in nature is liberating. Visiting beautiful places and eating great fresh food, is liberating. Plus RVers as a group, are generally very nice people.

I agree with everything you said.

Especially the part about RVers being nice people. We have found that to be true. In fact, since we have been shopping for our next RV, we tend to look at the ones people have in the parks. Everyone we approached and asked about their RV has been friendly and helpful. These help far more than any reviews on YouTube.

I could not count the amount of times we have been invited to join people around a fire or for dinner. Great folks.

I've probably traveled more on open highways than many people and I've been to something like 40 National parks, monuments, seashores, forests, etc. These places are magnets for travelers. As a group, the RV'rs are among the nicest people you come across. A lot nicer than most motorcyclists in my experience.

 

[WinterBorn]

Big night for Nomadland at the Golden Globes.

Won Best Picture - Drama and Best Director.

 

[WinterBorn]

Nomadland did pretty well at the Oscars. Won Best Picture, Frances McDormand won Best Actress, and Chloé Zhao won Best Director.

Congrats!

 

[gipper]

Nomadland did pretty well at the Oscars. Won Best Picture, Frances McDormand won Best Actress, and Chloé Zhao won Best Director.

Congrats!

I guess but if that’s the best Hollywood can do, they’re a dying industry.

I enjoyed the movie somewhat, since I’m an RVer and spent time at Quartzsite. The movie was very slow however.

 

[gipper]

Nomadland did pretty well at the Oscars. Won Best Picture, Frances McDormand won Best Actress, and Chloé Zhao won Best Director.

Congrats!

One thing is certain, Frances is crazy.

 

[WinterBorn]

Nomadland did pretty well at the Oscars. Won Best Picture, Frances McDormand won Best Actress, and Chloé Zhao won Best Director.

Congrats!

One thing is certain, Frances is crazy.

Yes she is. The spark of madness is strong in her.

 

[WinterBorn]

Nomadland did pretty well at the Oscars. Won Best Picture, Frances McDormand won Best Actress, and Chloé Zhao won Best Director.

Congrats!

I guess but if that’s the best Hollywood can do, they’re a dying industry.

I enjoyed the movie somewhat, since I’m an RVer and spent time at Quartzsite. The movie was very slow however.

It has a pace that is different from many mainstream movies. But I think that is intentional. I agree it was the best movie I have seen.

 

[gipper]

Nomadland did pretty well at the Oscars. Won Best Picture, Frances McDormand won Best Actress, and Chloé Zhao won Best Director.

Congrats!

I guess but if that’s the best Hollywood can do, they’re a dying industry.

I enjoyed the movie somewhat, since I’m an RVer and spent time at Quartzsite. The movie was very slow however.

It has a pace that is different from many mainstream movies. But I think that is intentional. I agree it was the best movie I have seen.

Ever?

 

[bodecea]

The movie, Nomadland glorifies a sick and perverted lifestyle.

Trying to figure out of you are trolling, or actually serious.
If serious, you are confused.
As the character in the movie says " I am not homeless, I am houseless, there is a difference"
A person living on the streets, or in a tent city etc. = are overwhelmingly mentally ill, having numerous mental disorders... and/or major drug addictions that render them fucked.
These people are not, at all, mentally ill or in any way living under the same circumstances as homeless.
They choose to live an alternate lifestyle free from the debts and confines of owning a home. And instead live in RVs or large vans.

You have to understand that that poster is a Poe.

 

[WinterBorn]

Nomadland did pretty well at the Oscars. Won Best Picture, Frances McDormand won Best Actress, and Chloé Zhao won Best Director.

Congrats!

I guess but if that’s the best Hollywood can do, they’re a dying industry.

I enjoyed the movie somewhat, since I’m an RVer and spent time at Quartzsite. The movie was very slow however.

It has a pace that is different from many mainstream movies. But I think that is intentional. I agree it was the best movie I have seen.

Ever?

No. Not even close. But it was the best movie this year.