John M. Pearson

An extraordinary cinematic achievement. The “real” actors are seamlessly interwoven with the real life nomadic people in this flawless docudrama. The American landscape our hero Fern (Frances McDormand at her very best) traverses is as spectacular and unforgiving as the lives of the van dwelling nomads. They have made a solemn and noble pact with a life on the road, for many forced upon them by the economic crash of 2008. They occasionally stop for seasonal work here and there as the opportunity presents itself. And there is unity and camaraderie wrought of a common experience as they share and help each other along the way. This is rare quality film making by Chloe Zhao - exquisite story telling, told with humanity, and a genuine respect and love for the characters who populate this wonderful and harsh world.

An astonishing achievement. From the first few minutes the confidence and clarity of this film is established. The extraordinary dexterity of the camerawork - all one shot continuous takes - draws the viewer - close - up - into the visceral horror. A roller coaster of a journey through a shell - shocked landscape. A nightmare from which our players cannot wake. Exceptional performances all round with some incisive cameos from Benedict Cumberbach, Colin Firth and Mark Strong, but the film belongs to George Mackay who bears witness to the inhumanity of war. His call to unimaginable heroism, like Odysseus, noble, innocent and brave. A testament of youth. Sam Mendes has made a masterpiece.

An extraordinary and deeply moving experience. As much a visual feast of technical virtuosity as it is an emotionally crafted masterpiece. This is cinema at its grandest, but intimately and delicately laid before its audience. I simply loved it.