BLU-RAY REVIEW

Nomadland

Featured In Issue 255, May/June 2021

Picture4
Sound4
WSR Score4
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Walt Disney Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
214359
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
Some full nudity
(Retail Price):
$29.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
(Running Time In Minutes):
108
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
4/27/2021
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
(Director):
Chloé Zhao
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
DTS HD Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(Subtitles):

"Nomadland" follows Fran (McDormand) after the close of a gypsum mine in the Nevada town she calls home. Fran packs her van and sets off on the road to explore an unconventional life as a modern-day nomad. Fran discovers a resilience and resourcefulness unlike any she's known before. Along the way she meets other nomads who become mentors in the vast landscape of the American West. Based on the book by Jessica Bruder. (Gary Reber)

Special features include the featurette "The Forgotten America" (HD 13.35), two deleted scenes (HD 02:54), the Telluride Premiere Q&A (HD 14:48) and a Movies Anywhere digital code.

The 2.39:1 1080p AVC picture, reviewed on a Sony Bravia Z9D 4K Ultra HD HDR display, upconverted to 2160p with greater resolution and luminance, was photographed digitally using the Arri Alexa Mini and Arri Amira camera systems and sourced from a 2K master Digital Intermediate format. The picture appears to project locational realism. Colors and fleshtones appear natural. However, nothing is really dramatic looking or vividly saturated. Resolution is fine especially during closeups. Overall, this is a picture that strives for realism of location, which it handily accomplishes. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is often subtle in its immersive qualities, which does provide good engagement of the surround channels throughout, though, not necessarily in any "over-the-top" way. The glut of outdoor material offers good opportunities for ambient environmental effects dotting the side and rear channels, though, again, these can be almost subliminal at times. More "showy" in a way are some of the scenes in an Amazon fulfillment facility, where the clamor of all the machinery and bustling workers provides more obvious surround activity. A plaintive score by Ludovico Einaudi also provides a nice bed of sound for several scenes. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout the presentation. Optional subtitles in a variety of languages are available. (Gary Reber)