Why Do They Refuse to 'Settle'? The Film 'Nomadland' for the Homeless [Joohee Kang's Video Prism]

Editor's NoteHow do you remember that scene? Have you ever suddenly recalled a moment from a movie? This is likely because films are closely connected to our lives. Movies offer another perspective on reality. We bring you various viewpoints on reality by highlighting a single scene from a film. Please note that there may be spoilers during the description of scenes.

Movie still from 'Nomadland'./Photo by Walt Disney Company Korea

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] "I've worked my whole life but can't even buy a single house... Do you think this makes any sense?"

The film Nomadland, directed by Chinese-American filmmaker Chloe Zhao, tells the story of nomads who live a wandering life, making their vans their homes. In the United States, after the 2008 financial crisis, many people who could no longer afford housing costs were forced onto the streets and became nomads. The movie is a dramatization of the nonfiction book of the same name by journalist Jessica Bruder, who met and reported on actual nomads.

The film begins by showing the message that the 'US Gypsum' plant, which supported the industrial town of Empire in western Nevada, was shut down in 2011. Due to the economic downturn, residents lost their jobs and scattered, and Empire soon became a 'ghost town' with even its postal code disappearing.

The protagonist, Fern, lived in Empire with her husband who worked at US Gypsum, but after losing their home and jobs, and with her husband passing away from cancer, she suddenly finds herself alone. Fern then sets off on a road without a destination in her small van.

From then on, Fern lives by eating and sleeping in her van and taking on short-term jobs. She drifts wherever she can find work, whether as a night shift worker at an Amazon logistics center, a restaurant worker at tourist spots, or a campground manager in national parks. Living as a homeless nomad does not mean the end of labor.

Life inside the small van is not easy either. Basic tasks like using the restroom and doing laundry require great effort, and there is barely enough space to stretch out and sleep. To others, the nomadic life looks uncomfortable, unstable, and even pitiful. People around Fern look at her with concern and repeatedly suggest she live with them.

However, Fern firmly rejects their offers. She says she is not homeless but houseless. This is true for other nomads as well. They 'choose' a life without a house by their own will and are not objects of pity.

Still cut from the movie 'Nomadland'./Photo by Walt Disney Company Korea

Living as nomads, they do not merely focus on survival. On their days off, they visit tourist attractions to enjoy leisure, meet people to share food and drinks, and form communities by sharing lifestyles. Like ordinary people, they have aspirations and work to achieve them. The only differences are living in vans and not having fixed jobs.

Why did they have to leave their homes and choose such an inconvenient life? Through Fern and the nomads' lives, the film encourages a shift in thinking about traditional homes and housing methods. Behind their choices lies a world where owning a home after a lifetime of work has become an impossible dream.

Skyrocketing housing prices and insufficient wages have made living as a middle-class person in the U.S. nearly impossible since the financial crisis. After paying rent or mortgage, there is almost nothing left, and even buying essentials becomes unaffordable.

This is not much different from our current reality, where 'housing' has become the most sensitive issue. We believed that hard work would be rewarded and that even if we were not rich, we could live without starving ourselves or our families, but the system has betrayed those expectations. This social contradiction mocks the value of labor and leads those who have worked diligently all their lives to despair.

Nomad Linda May in the film says, "2008 was really tough. I hit rock bottom. I was almost 62 years old, and government assistance was only $550. I worked all my life. I raised two daughters alone since I was 12. Does this make any sense?" That is why nomads chose a new life on the road?to not succumb to this world's system and to maintain an autonomous life.

Still cut from the movie 'Nomadland'./Photo by Walt Disney Company Korea

However, the film does not express rage or anger toward such a society. It does not blame anyone for choosing an ordinary life instead of living like them. The film simply listens calmly to each nomad's reasons for choosing life on the road.

In fact, except for the main characters Fern and Dave, all the people appearing in the film are actual nomads living a wandering life. Thus, without direct criticism, the film naturally reveals social issues simply by listening to their personal stories.

Some may think the nomads' chosen lifestyle is stubborn or a fanciful dream. They are likely aware that others may see them that way.

But in a harsh reality where everyone must fend for themselves, they understand what abundance means when one willingly shares their portion and how important that is in life. So they will get back into their vans and head somewhere, bidding farewell with a promise to meet again on the road.