I loved this movie but, the more I reflect on it, the less I like it.
There's no doubt that Frances McDormand deserves every accolade - she's one of those rare actors who can completely inhabit a character and makes the screen light up. Chloé Zhao's direction is subtle and sublime, giving us a tender and touching portrait of a community cast adrift.
I always find it hard watching stories featuring people who continually make poor decisions. And I find it even more upsetting when you can see the choices which have been foisted upon them. To be fair, I think this movie is supposed to be grimly emotional. But I found it was suffused with a sense of abandonment which made it feel particularly bleak. The themes of temporary friendships and the regrets of roads-not-taken were hard for me to enjoy.
I found the use of real people - some of whom were tricked into performing - to be distasteful. I don't know how people can meaningfully consent to be part of a piece of entertainment if they don't know who their "co-star" is, or what the final product will be. I hope that they ended up happy with the way they were portrayed. I found it to be relatively sympathetic, for the most part, but feels a bit underhand.
But the real problem I had, was just how accepting the movie is. There's no investigation about the systemic failings which cause people to lose everything. Don't get me wrong - I don't think there's anything wrong about van-living if that's what you want to do. The film doesn't romanticise the lifestyle, far from it, but it feels curiously muted about its problems. It isn't a documentary - and I shouldn't criticise it for that. But because it skirts the line between fiction and reality, I find it hard to judge it as a pure piece of entertainment.
Absolutely worth watching, but left a bad taste in my mouth.
