An incredibly nuanced film paired with a popcorn that can be described as anything but "nuanced".
Dave: I know Frances McDormand killed it in this role - living in a van for months while she was filming to get into character - but I think the real star of the show is the scenery. The film is so beautifully shot that even barren desert, giant plexiglass roadside dinosaurs, and long stretches of road are gorgeous, not to mention the rivers, oceans, mountains, and sunsets that are breathtaking. The film is essentially a series of vignettes, following McDormand’s life moving from one job to another as an economic nomad. Through most of the film characters filter in and out of McDormand’s life, making her and the landscape the only enduring characters, the huge desert expanses and frequent shots of vans driving away on dusty roads only highlight the isolation. Nearly all of the supporting cast is played by people who actually live nomadically, lending a tenderness to their characters and avoiding the campiness or overwrought emotion that a trained actor might bring. I’m glad the film didn’t allow itself to become a think-piece or a screed about economic precariousness and the lack of a social/economic safety net; that point is made quietly throughout the film, but not hammered home so much that the characters become puppets with no agency, entirely slaves to harsh economic realities. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
When you use Pecan Pie as a descriptor, I expect a decent amount of rich, dark, gooey, buttery pie filling. I’d expect, say, pecan pie waffles or coffee cake or french fries to be covered in dark, buttery, syrupy goodness. Pecan Popcorn Pie, though, drops the ball tremendously. I’m fine with the goo becoming a bit more like a caramel so that the popcorn doesn’t become a soggy mess, but there simply wasn’t enough of it. The end result was tasty, but the goo only made the popcorn slightly sweet, if deliciously crunchy. It was nothing at all like a good piece of sweet-enough-to-make-you-lightheaded pecan pie. If Kirk had called this, say, pecan caramel corn, I’d have given it higher marks. Even so, I still ate far more than my share of the bowl. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Joe: This is not an easy movie to watch. It is profoundly moving, but it is stark. Front and center is Frances McDormand, whose performance telegraphs the loneliness, the suffering, and the steadfastness of her character in such a nuanced manner that it's nearly impossible to separate her from this character. In that sense, the film - which actually employs nomadic Americans - feels closer to a documentary than a character study. Chloé Zhao's directing is an art unto itself: tightly framed shots that are intimate without being intrusive, panoramic stills that parallel the characters' suffering, seamless tracking shots that simultaneously insulate and embrace. It's an absolute marvelous piece of filmmaking, and one that will linger with me for a very long time. If I were a betting man, I'd put my chips on Zhao for Best Director and McDormand for her third Best Actress at the Academy Awards. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Oftentimes, my chief complaint about sweet popcorn is how one-note the flavors can be. Here we have a "pecan pie" popcorn that, to me, just tastes like corn syrup. One could argue, of course, that pecan pie, by its very nature, is a one-note pie. Sweet on sweet on sweet. Which is true. But I like pecan pie. It just doesn't really translate to popcorn. Did I still shovel large handfuls into my gob? I did. Would I do it again? Maybe. But I prefer the pie. (⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Popcorn recipe from: 100 Popcorn Recipes by "Kirk Castle"
Nomadland on IMDB.
I watched at least part of this film It was pretty dark for me. Reminded me of "The Florida Project".