Nomadland

At the end of Nomadland, Fern chooses to return to Empire, Nevada, the town she once called home, to confront her grief and say goodbye to her past. Throughout her journey, Fern has been searching for a sense of meaning and closure after losing her husband and her sense of stability. Her return is symbolically significant, as it signifies her acceptance that her ties to her old life—represented by Empire—are ultimately part of her story, but not her present. It’s a poignant realization that closure doesn’t come from avoiding pain but facing it head-on. Fern’s conversation with Bob, a fellow nomad who views death as a continuous journey rather than a final farewell, helps her understand that loss is not an end but a passage to a new understanding of life and death. Her decision to visit Empire and then leave again reflects her acceptance that some things—like the town and her past love—are permanently gone, and she must continue moving forward.

The film’s deeper message is about the resilience of the human spirit and the idea that home is not a fixed place but something found within ourselves. Fern’s nomadic lifestyle doesn’t mean she’s lost; it means she has embraced the idea that life is cyclical, with beginnings and endings intertwined. Her return to Empire is a bittersweet acknowledgment that while the past holds importance, it’s the journey ahead—on the open road—that truly brings her peace. Ultimately, her story is about learning to live with loss, finding strength in impermanence, and understanding that sometimes the act of moving on requires one to revisit what was left behind, not to cling to it, but to finally let it go.

Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:57