How To Watch Nomadland Streaming

Frances McDormand in Nomadland

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It was announced, as of early February 2021, that Frances McDormand has earned her seventh Golden Globe nod for a drama that not many general audiences have yet had the pleasure of seeing. However, Nomadland will soon be available for streaming on Hulu on the same day that it officially makes a wide theatrical release.

The film, which was also nominated for three other Globes including Best Picture, is inspired by journalist Jessica Bruder’s book Nomadland: Surviving American in the Twenty-First Century. Published in 2017, it chronicles the author's own journey into a subculture of middle-aged Americans living on the road in search of employment after the financial collapse of 2008. Writer and director Chloé Zhao, who is also helming the MCU’s upcoming Eternals movie, crafts the award-winning non-fiction book into a dramatized reflection of its still timely topic as told through the eyes of Frances McDormand’s character, Fern, that also features real “nomads” appearing as themselves.

The thought-provoking and critically acclaimed festival darling is something that must be seen to be believed and, thankfully, after Covid-19 that chance is not too far down the road. The following is a quick and convenient guide regarding how to watch Nomadland when the opportunity arises, starting with the how, when, where.

Frances McDormand taking a walk in Nomadland

Where Is Nomadland Available Streaming?

Early February 2021, Nomadland is currently playing in select IMAX theaters and after a week of virtual screenings at New York’s Lincoln Center in December 2020. For the drama’s wide theatrical release, Searchlight is taking a cue from Warner Bros’ HBO Max plan and simultaneously releasing it on Hulu on Friday, February 19. There is no word at the moment on if or when the film will get a VOD release on platforms like Amazon, where you could, however, purchase or digitally rent Jessica Bruder’s original book to pass the time.

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Frances McDormand and David Strathairn in Nomadland

Will Nomadland Be On Netflix?

While I can understand why some households would prefer to stick with just one streaming service, if the sole platform you subscribe to is Netflix and you were hoping to watch Nomadland from here, you might be out of luck. Hulu is the only place that the drama will reportedly be available to stream from in late February and it does not seem likely that it will transition over to its rival platform anytime soon. However, Netflix customers can see Frances McDormand in the Coen Brothers comedy Hail, Caesar!, as well as her Nomadland co-star David Strathairn in three of his films (An Interview with God, November Criminals, and The Spiderwick Chronicles) and on Seasons 2 and 3 of The Blacklist as well.

If You Have Seen Nomadland…

If you happen to be one of the lucky ones who was in New York for the Lincoln Theater’s virtual Nomadland screenings or caught it at your local IMAX theater, check out our own Eric Eisenberg’s stellar review of the film and see your thoughts match up. We also have plenty of juicy details about what has been going on with Frances McDormand (such as her involvement in Wes Anderson’s upcoming The French Dispatch), countless updates on Chloé Zhang’s highly anticipated Eternals adaptation, and you can certainly count on us to keep you informed on Nomadland’s chances at the Golden Globes, and the Oscars, too.

It is nice that, in the wake of Covid-19, the Hollywood Foreign Press amended their rules for eligibility at the Golden Globe, allowing Nomadland the chance to be recognized. Does its awards attention make you more interested in seeing or, if you have caught a screening already, do you believe it deserves its recent nominations?

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Jason Wiese
Content Writer

Jason Wiese writes feature stories for CinemaBlend. His occupation results from years dreaming of a filmmaking career, settling on a "professional film fan" career, studying journalism at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO (where he served as Culture Editor for its student-run print and online publications), and a brief stint of reviewing movies for fun. He would later continue that side-hustle of film criticism on TikTok (@wiesewisdom), where he posts videos on a semi-weekly basis. Look for his name in almost any article about Batman.