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Powerful tale of a wandering soul
MARIA DUARTE recommends an understated drama about a woman who loses everything and becomes a van-dwelling nomad in the American West
ON THE ROAD: Frances McDormand as Fern

Nomadland (12A)
Directed by Chloe Zhao

INDEPENDENT film-maker Chloe Zhao made history this week with this quietly understated but powerful drama about the little-known life of modern-day nomads in the American West, by becoming the first woman of colour and the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for best director.

The film, which scooped three accolades at this year’s Oscars, is based on Jessica Bruder’s non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21st century, which Zhao adapted for the big screen.

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