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Nomadland

Nomadland

See you down the road.

2020107 minRMidcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Director
Chloé Zhao
Starring
Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Linda May, Charlene Swankie

A woman in her sixties embarks on a journey through the western United States after losing everything in the Great Recession, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Nomadland?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Nomadland to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video, and on no subscription service.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Nomadland?

Nomadland earns 12 badges, led by Top 10% in Drama and Visual feast.

Show 4 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Content
  • Cast

Reception

Is Nomadland worth watching?

Nomadland's Midcredits score is the 88th percentile of all films, from 226K ratings across 2 sources. 77% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

88th percentile

Better received than 88% of films

90th percentile among Drama89th percentile among 2020s
Acclaim (how much people like it)86th
Approval (how many liked it)87th

73 /100

86th percentile of all films

89th percentile among Drama85th percentile among 2020s

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 7.2 — solid but not unanimous.

77% liked it

87th percentile of all films

89th percentile among Drama87th percentile among 2020s
77% rated it 7–1023% rated it 1–6

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 61 wins / 32 noms overall

98th percentile

222K ratings across platforms

98th percentile among Drama98th percentile among 2020s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 5% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$5M
Opening weekend$503K
Domestic gross$3.7M
Worldwide gross$39M

Returned 7.9× its budget — 93rd percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

The film is a slow, atmospheric, documentary-like portrait of modern American nomads, with beautiful visuals and a strong lead performance.

Fans praised

  • McDormand's immersive, lived-in performance
  • gorgeous cinematography capturing sweeping landscapes
  • authenticity of real-life nomads blending fiction and documentary

Detractors panned

  • aimless, plotless narrative with no story arc
  • glosses over real hardships of nomadic poverty
  • protagonist feels flat and inscrutable

What stands out

Cinematography90

stunning landscapes, intimate documentary-style framing

ActingDivisive85

McDormand's raw, naturalistic performance; real-life nomads feel genuine

AtmosphereDivisive85

immersive, melancholic tone of open-road solitude

OriginalityDivisive70

fresh docu-fiction hybrid approach to a little-seen subculture

Emotional impactDivisive65

deeply moving to some; others find it emotionally flat

Characters40

Fern feels emotionally distant and underdeveloped; real nomads are colorful but peripheral

PacingDivisive30

deliberately slow and meditative, often called boring

Plot and story20

essentially no traditional plot or narrative progression

Preferred by

Critics vs users

Preferred by Critics

Critics scored it 11 points higher than users.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 5 points apart
  • Under-30s vs over-30s 6 points apart
  • US vs non-US 7 points apart

Watch experience

What is Nomadland like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Quiet and reflective: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are in a patient, quiet mood.

It is gentle, takes its time and leaves you thinking. Skip it when you want things to move fast.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Patience.

What it feels like

Quiet and reflective.

Moods
ContemplativeBittersweetMelancholic
Heaviest: late
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Warm
Told as
Episodic · 13% of films: Loosely connected incidents rather than one driving plot.Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film observes its characters' lives with quiet, unhurried gravity, never judging or sentimentalizing their choices.
The rideThe film maintains a quiet, observant register throughout, with its most emotionally resonant moments—including reflections on Swankie's death and Fern's return to Empire—concentrated in the final act.
StructureThe film follows Fern through a series of loosely connected encounters and seasonal jobs, giving it an episodic feel, yet it traces a clear emotional arc from loss through community to tentative acceptance.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Thinking.

Thought-provokingBittersweet
Why it leaves you this wayThe film lingers as a quiet meditation on freedom, grief, and the trade-offs of a life outside convention, leaving you with a complex, unsettled sense of both loss and possibility.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Voyage
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4% (this title): Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% (this title) · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Voyage and return: Into a strange world and back again, changed. · Fish out of water: Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).

4% of films fit this archetype

with Rebirth underneath

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeFern, displaced by economic collapse and grief, leaves her settled life to live on the road among a community of nomads, journeying through a new social world and ultimately finding a changed perspective—though her return is more internal than physical.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5% (this title)
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% (this title) · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9% (this title): Community 14% (this title) · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Society

Community · 14% of filmsGrief · 6% of filmsFreedom · 5% of films
Observes its theme: Presents its theme neutrally, declining to judge.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film explores how an itinerant community of van-dwellers provides belonging and solace in the wake of personal loss, and the trade-off between that freedom and conventional ties.
StanceThe film neither celebrates nor condemns the nomadic life; it simply watches Fern and her community with patient attention, letting their choices speak for themselves.

The world

Early 21st centuryRuralIn transitWildernessRealistic
FolkAmbientSupportive music · original score · Ludovico Einaudi
SettingThe American West and Midwest, from the abandoned factory town of Empire, Nevada to seasonal camps and Amazon warehouses.
MusicEinaudi's piano-driven score is sparse and lyrical, often set against wide shots of the American landscape.

Content guide

Is Nomadland okay for kids?

R

Nomadland is rated R: “Rated R for some full nudity” (MPAA). As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at minimal (5/100), sexual content at moderate (43/100), language at mild (30/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (37/100) and frightening material at minimal (9/100). Overall it is heavier than 1% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 25 other countries
  • UK12A
  • AustraliaM
  • Germany0
  • FranceU
  • Ireland12A
  • New ZealandM
  • JapanG
  • South Korea12
  • Brazil12
  • Argentina+13
  • Belgium18
  • Czechia12+
  • GreeceΚ
  • Hungary12
  • ItalyT
  • NetherlandsAL
  • Poland16
  • PortugalM/12
  • Russia18+
  • SingaporeM18
  • SK12
  • Spain16
  • SwedenBtl
  • Switzerland6
  • Taiwan普遍級
Overall
Mild · all five categories
Heavier than 13% of all filmsHeavier than 1% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
None / Minimal
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 1%
Sex & Nudity
Moderate
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 41%
Profanity
Mild
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 6%
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 41%
Frightening / Intense
None / Minimal
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 3%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Nothing here is extreme. The strongest element is sexual content, heavier than 41% of R-rated films.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Nomadland have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Nomadland?

Cast

2 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor; Frances McDormand won the Oscar for this film.

Frances McDormand
as Fern
Oscar win: Academy Award — Best Motion Picture of the YearTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
David Strathairn
as Dave
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Linda May
as Linda
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Charlene Swankie
as Swankie
Bob Wells
as Bob
Derrick Janis
as Victor
Greg Barber
as Greg
Cat Clifford
as Cat
Warren Keith
as George
Emily Jade Foley
as Emily

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Nomadland?

Movies like Nomadland include El Camino (2019), I'm No Longer Here (2019) and Women Talking (2022). Of the 12 closest matches, half are road movies, and several are films set in the American West.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

7 of these 12 share its character type: found family. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Nomadland?

1.8K other films share the rarest tag below, follows: aging hero. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.