MovieChat Forums > Nomadland (2021) Discussion > What was Frances McDormand searching for...

What was Frances McDormand searching for?

posted 3 years ago by mobocracy (846)
18 replies | jump to latest

For some reason this film reminds me of the Grapes of Wrath, except there they were trying to get to the Promised Land in California, but its the forced economic migration that reminds me of Nomadland.

What was Frances looking for? Was she trying to find something or just find the courage to leave it all behind, as evidenced by her abandoning the storage locker at the end of the film?

She decided that the warm, stable family life wasn't for her after visiting Strathairn and his family? I wasn't sure what her reaction was was being driven by. Fear of engagement with Strathairn? Being tied down?

[–] joi2049 (5494) 3 years ago

Haven't seen the film yet ... but from what the summary said about it ... sounds like the offer was for her to be the MISTRESS of the guy who decided to go back to being with his wife again.

So she probably rejects that offer because "he wants to both have his cake and eat it too" (so to speak), and she didn't want to be a part of that kind of a situation where she plays 2nd fiddle to the wife.

[–] Towelie_Towel (1720) 3 years ago

Ok, you haven't seen the film but you are trying to interpret it already?
Amazing.

[–] joi2049 (5494) 3 years ago

I've seen the scene where she walks away when others call for her to come join them.

And I've also read the PLOT summary of the story and read SEVERAL REVIEWS of the film where others also suggest that she wants to be ALONE rather than mix with other people (which probably also has something to do with the DEATH or her husband and then the death of the other woman she meets who had cancer).

So naturally she'd be reluctant to form a bond with someone else, but she still seems on the verge of being able to do so when that man's family comes back into his life again, at which time she takes off again instead of accepting his offer to live there and be HIS MISTRESS (a role where she'd also be playing 2ND FIDDLE to his wife).

What if someone offered that kind of a ROLE to you??? Would you take it???

Personally, I feel she did the right thing by turning him down and hitting the road again.

[–] Towelie_Towel (1720) 3 years ago

There was no wife, but good on you trying to be funny and falling flat, kid.

[–] joi2049 (5494) 3 years ago

Thanks for the correction. When I read this PLOT summary I incorrectly assumed that it was talking about David's wife instead of his daughter-in-law:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomadland_(film)

Fern later takes a job as a camp host at the Cedar Pass Campground in Badlands National Park, where she runs into David, another nomad she met and danced with back at the desert community. David is working temporarily at Badlands National Park, but when he falls ill, Fern visits him at the hospital where he has had emergency surgery. The two of them later take restaurant jobs at Wall Drug in South Dakota. One night David's adult son visits the restaurant looking for him, informing David that his wife is pregnant and asking him to meet his grandchild. David is hesitant, but Fern encourages him to go. David suggests that she come with him, but she declines.

Fern later visits David and his son's family; she learns that David has decided to stay with them long-term. He admits feelings for her and invites her to stay with him permanently in a guest house, but she decides to leave after only a few days and heads to the ocean.

Fern returns to her seasonal Amazon job and later revisits the Arizona rendezvous. There she learns that Swankie has died, and she and the other nomads pay tribute to her life. Fern opens up with Bob about her loving relationship with her late husband, and Bob shares the story of his adult son's recent suicide. Bob espouses the view that goodbyes are not final in the nomad community as its members always promise to see each other again "down the road."

Sometime later, Fern returns to the nearly-abandoned town of Empire to dispose of the belongings she has been keeping in a storage unit. She visits the factory and the home she shared with her husband before hitting the road again.

But now that you've helped me to realize that mistake, it sounds like MAYBE she got rid of her stuff in storage because at some point she might hook back up again with DAVID and accept his offer (which could also explain the reason why she wouldn't need her other things in storage anymore)???

And that would also be pretty cool if they do HOOK UP again, because then we might also get a SEQUEL or a follow up film to the story.

[–] Mallen (3) 3 years ago

Maybe I'm a hopeless romantic but I did think that Fern was going to go be with David. I thought it was telling at the end when she walks out the back door of her old house. She said earlier something to the effect that if she doesn't keep her old husband in her thoughts that it would be like he didn't exist. She described that the back of the house looked out over the desert and right to the mountains and there was "nothing in their way". I'm taking that to mean there was nothing in her way now. So if she puts her old husband to bed, so to speak, she can be with David. I guess it could mean that she is free to be a nomad, but I want to think that she can live with David. Her own family was more involved with money and the american dream, where it seemed that David's family played music, was warm and nurturing.

[–] joi2049 (5494) 3 years ago

What was her life like with the husband who dies??? Did they ever show any FLASHBACKS where you see her interacting with him???

FARGO was on again last night and it was WONDERFUL to see her in that role again as the PREGNANT COP who captures the KILLER as he's chopping up the FOOT of his buddy in the WOOD CHIPPER (because he refused to pay him for his half of the automobile). And then she goes home to the husband who NURTURES her and makes breakfast for her, and NURTURES him back again telling him the 3 Cent stamp is important and will be used when the postal rates go up. But that was also before we got the FOREVER STAMPS.

Frances is such a talented actress!!!

Have you seen her in the other 4 PART SERIES that she did for HBO???

https://moviechat.org/tt3012698/Olive-Kitteridge

Or seen her as the ROCK & ROLL MOM who produces records in LAUREL CANYON???

https://moviechat.org/tt0298408/Laurel-Canyon

I ADORE the kind of ROLES that she choses to portray!!!

[–] AtomicReturns (1252) 3 years ago

I think a critical scene near the end that was almost therapeutic (talking with the old man who lost his son) reveals that she wasn't searching for something but running away and avoiding, pretty much her whole life. The old man lost his son, she lost Beau, and many other nomads lost something. Either recently or something traumatic happened to them in their youth. I also felt like the movie was hinting at some trauma in the scene with the sister. There has to be a reason Fern was "always like this". Why did she want to leave home so quickly? Was there some trauma or domestic unhappiness?

I do agree that her leaving the warm stable family life at the end does seem like she has a fear of engagement. Perhaps she's scared of losing such a good thing and has doubts something that good can last?

[–] joi2049 (5494) 3 years ago

What you say definitely MAKES SENSE, PLUS there's another review that puts emphasis on the way that she seems to keep MOSTLY to herself when she's camped out with the other NOMANDS.

There's a scene, for instance, where they try to call her over to them asking her to JOIN them and she keeps on walking away saying maybe later on to them.

So you're right about there seems to be some reason why she likes being ALONE and by herself. And perhaps not wanting to get emotionally involved with someone else who's going to die could have something to do with it???

Plus that other woman that she becomes friends with also dies of CANCER (which would further confirm her desire to keep her emotional distance away from others rather than risk getting hurt again by still another departure again)???

[–] Speeed (172) 2 months ago

Another thing I got from the scene where she looks around at the things in and around Dave's house right before she quietly left, i.e. nice cozy home with a beautiful view of the mountains etc. was that they reminded her so much of what she had with Beau, aside from the baby furniture and the big family, which I'm sure she eventually would've loved to have had with him. I think those constant reminders would've drove her crazy had she stayed so she left.

[–] MonStar (11738) 3 years ago

"What was Frances McDormand searching for?"
An Oscar.

[–] mobocracy (846) 3 years ago

Sheez, doesn't she know they're both in the living room on the mantle? Along with the 3 others her husband has won?

[–] joi2049 (5494) 3 years ago

Since Kate HEPBURN bragged to JANE FONDA about how she'd never catch her now (after she won another OSCAR for "ON GOLDEN POND"), I'm thinking FRANCES is hoping to be able to MATCH or even SURPASS the number of OSCARS that KATE won.

11 Actresses With The Most Oscar Wins, Ranked | ScreenRant

https://screenrant.com/actresses-with-most-oscar-wins-ranked

Author: Christine Persaud

Published: Aug 27, 2020

Katharine Hepburn: 4 Wins (12 Nominations) Decades later, and still no female …

Meryl Streep: 3 Wins (21 Nominations) As the current reigning queen of Hollywood, …

Ingrid Bergman: 3 Wins (7 Nominations) One of only two female actors ever to win …

Bette Davis: 2 Wins (10 Nominations) The cinema icon might "only" have two wins – …

See full list on screenrant.com

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

[–] mobocracy (846) 3 years ago

Frances has already won the triple crown (oscar, emmy, tony), so in many ways she's ahead of Hepburn and Streep, both of which haven't won a Tony.

Frances has a "triple crown score" of 4, putting her behind Bergman, Jessica Lange, and Glenda Jackson.

Viola Davis might have room to have the all-time triple crown score, since she was the youngest to get to triple crown status and currently scores 4 there. If she wins 3 more, she will pass Bergman and Jackson.

[–] joi2049 (5494) 3 years ago

Thanks for the info about the TRIPLE CROWN !!!

But it would still also be NICE if she could TIE or OVER TAKE KATE's record of 4 OSCARS to become the only actress to have won 5 of them !!!

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

[–] hotjam2 (60) 3 years ago

To live as close she can to her departed husband? She mentioned how she loved her life with him in Empire with the wide open landscapes. When both were taking away fom her she travelled the country to find the same idyllic setting

[–] Jes' Sayin' (6004) 3 years ago

Seemed to me she is pretty introverted and doesn't like being with other people that much. Prefers to have her independence and be in the outdoors. See how she talked about her "backyard" in Empire? And how she prefers to go for walks over talking with groups of people? Both the housing situations she was offered involved living with a whole bunch of people. I think it would be too much for her.

[–] jacotodd47 (1046) 2 years ago

Not really searching for anything. Her life in Empire ended. Husband gone, job gone, town gone. I think Fern's nature was to be a free spirit. Her steady life was over. She felt home ownership was a ripoff. She really had no need, or desire, to be with any one 24/7. Since nothing was holding her back - why not go out and experience the world? I shouldn't say that, something was holding her back, she didn't have any $. So, she goes out and experiences the world while living in her van. Beats paying for hotels. I don't know, maybe I'm weird - in my eyes what she did makes perfect sense. I think she would have continued living that life until something inspired her to live differently. I don't think the character played by David Straitharn was enough. If nothing inspired her, I think she would have been a Nomad for the rest of her life, like Swankie was.