Let’s be honest, pretty much all we have going for us right now are our Oscars pools. Ahead of the Academy Awards on April 25, it’s time to pop that popcorn, settle in on the couch, and watch as many critically acclaimed movies as you can get through (all in the name of research, obvi). And for anyone hoping to catch one of the year’s most buzzed about Best Picture noms, you’re in luck: Starting April 9, Canadians can *finally* stream Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland.
Based on the 2017 non-fiction book of the same name, Nomadland follows Fern (two-time Academy Award winner Frances McDormand, who is nominated for Best Actress for this role), an woman who — shortly after losing her job in her crumbling Nevada town — sets off on the road. The film, which was filmed in the sweeping landscapes of Arizona and California, stars IRL nomads, who serve as Fern’s mentors as she explores her new way of life. Nomadland won the People's Choice Award at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival and has been praised as an “emotionally overpowering” look at isolation and life in America.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
It's also breaking tons of barriers for women — and women of colour — in Hollywood. Zhao is not only one of two women nominated for Best Director (alongside Promising Young Woman’s Emerald Fennell), an awards show first, she is the first woman of colour nominated for the award in the show’s history. She’s also the first woman to earn four Oscar nominations in the same year. Zhao is also nominated for best adapted screenplay, best film editing, and best picture.
Nomadland arrives on Disney+ on April 9; it will also be released in select theatres across Canada starting the same day. The film is not currently available on any additional streaming services — yet.