Blu Tuesday: “Nomadland”

Blu Tuesday is a weekly column where we review the newest Blu-ray and 4K releases, along with a brief rundown of the included bonus material, to determine whether they’re worth buying, renting or skipping.

Pick of the Week: “Nomadland”

“Nomadland” certainly isn’t the most exciting Best Picture Oscar winner — it’s not even one of the best films released this past year — but Chloe Zhao’s portrait of the forgotten, downtrodden souls who wander the American frontier feels like a fitting movie for a year where many people spent days, weeks and months in their own form of isolation. My main problem with the film is that it appears to romanticize certain aspects of the nomad lifestyle when the reality is likely even more depressing than what’s shown on screen, especially in its problematic depiction of Amazon warehouse workers. Additionally, while the use of non-actors lends a certain authenticity to the material, giving the movie a documentary feel at times, some scenes aren’t as effective because the performances are either too stiff or lack emotion. For a film that doesn’t have much in the way of story, however, “Nomadland” manages to hold your attention thanks to some absolutely stunning cinematography and a strong lead performance by Frances McDormand.

Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette, a Q&A from the Telluride Film Festival with McDormand and writer/director Chloe Zhao, and some deleted scenes. FINAL VERDICT: RENT

Disclosure: Bullz-Eye was provided a copy of the above titles for review purposes.