The imposed necessity of the nomadic lifestyle for many seniors (especially female) in the US is examined in Belgian filmmaker Sebastien Wielemans’ film Nomad Solitude, who follows three ageing women whose house on four wheels is the only economically affordable option facing them.
For some it is a calling and for others a way of life, but the nomad lifestyle is usually a reaction to wider political and social circumstances.
Though Wielemans occasionally becomes part of the film himself (mainly via one of the women whose social media and YouTube diaries are integral to her nomad lifestyle) he is always non-judgmental, instead allowing questions to be raised and forcing the viewer to draw their own conclusions.
By its very nature, the film has echoes of Chloe Zhao’s 2020 multi-Oscar-winning film Nomadland, especially as the film opens with audio from Bob Wells, American YouTuber, author, and advocate of minimalist, nomadic van-dwelling, who featured heavily in Zhao’s film.
The three women featured are all very different, but at the same time bonded by the fact that they live life within their own transportation. Sweet-natured Laurie Bowen Brown giggles with a warm singsong voice as she recounts her life story (she spent 16 years in a wheelchair after a car accident) and now drives a white van – titled Bubba’s Rescue – with her dog Daisy, liking to spend time in rural spots next to water.
Linda Mastromonaco is a more pro-active nomader, busily filming herself and sharing experiences, stories and details of new equipment on her website and YouTube Channel ’Serene and Simple Life’. She watches Donald Trump videos on her phone; posts regular inspirational religious messages and talks to Sebastian about how the film will develop, asking him often about the other women being filmed.
Slightly younger Kristy Vaughan had some chronic health problems and is on disability benefits, but her financial problems have forced her into her car and now she lives on just over $1000 a month. She is a gentle soul, but her ready smile covers sadness and struggles. She doesn’t want to do the “YouTube thing,” adding: “It is a house of mirrors – YouTubers filming YouTubers filming YouTubers.”
All three have had their issues and reasons for being nomads, but also still retain tentative relationships with their families. When her truck breaks down Laurie spends a challenging month with her daughter and family (she is delightfully filmed discussing Marvel superheroes with her grandson) before tearfully reaching out to her 52 on-line subscribers for financial help, while at the end of the film Kristy gets to meet her new baby granddaughter.
But in truth, the women’s families are now the fellow nomads who want to help or give advice. The nomadic lifestyle can be both addictive and challenging, but for these three women, at least, there is no real choice about how they want to live their lives.
Belgium-France, 2023, 88mins
Dir/scr: Sebastien Wielemans
Production: Eklektik Productions, YUZU Productions, Grizzly Films
Producers: Fabrice Estève, Virginie Chapelle, Samuel Tilman, Sebastien Wielemans
Cinematography: Sebastien Wielemans
Editors: Thibault Lagarde, Camille Cotte, François Houlzet
Music: Maxime Steiner
With: Laurie Bowen Brown, Linda Mastromonaco, Kristy Vaughan
