How to watch Nomadland online in Australia: stream the Oscar-winner on Disney Plus

(Image credit: Searchlight Pictures)

What do you get when you combine Frances McDormand, acclaimed auteur Chloé Zhao, and the Oscar-nominated producer of Call Me By Your Name, Peter Spears? Awards dynamite, that’s what!

In Australia, Disney Plus subscribers can watch Nomadland from April 30, 2021 at no extra cost, so Aussies will easily be able to catch the exquisitely understated drama that made the critics swoon in 2020 and emerged as the big winner at this year's Oscars.

How to watch Nomadland online

Available from: April 30, 2021

Director: Chloé Zhao

Cast: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Linda May, Bob Wells, Swankie, Derek Enders

Run time: 108 minutes

Rating: M

Stream now: Disney Plus

Based on Jessica Bruder’s non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, the movie finds middle-aged Fern (McDormand) unemployed after the economic collapse of her Nevada home town.

With few prospects, she sells all her belongings and drives off across America, seeking a greater sense of peace in the nomadic lifestyle. Along the way she falls in with a group of fellow wanderers: experiencing hardship and grief, joy and freedom, against the majestic backdrop of the American West.

This skeletal story might sound trite, but it powerfully resonates. McDormand is profoundly engaging as an actress, and as Fern, a woman worn down by life’s tough realities, she’s quietly devastating. Meanwhile, writer-director Zhao – who stunned critics with 2017’s The Rider – brings an understated, earthy, documentary sensibility to Nomadland, which helps to render the reality of life on society's periphery.

Judging by its amazing awards tally, it’s a film that has to be seen and one of the early Oscars 2021 favorites. It’s the first ever to win both the Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival and TIFF’s People’s Choice Award, while the Golden Globes saw it take home Best Film and Zhao win Best Director. So, prepare to be floored by a modern masterpiece as we detail how you can watch Nomadland online, and exclusively on Disney Plus in Australia.

Disney Plus: best upcoming TV shows and movies

How to watch Nomadland online in Australia

From April 30, Disney Plus is giving you a front-row seat to one of the most acclaimed films of 2020. In Australia, Nomadland is exclusive to stream on Disney Plus, so you won’t find this pitch-perfect neo-western drama anywhere else.

All you’ll need is a basic subscription to Disney Plus. It starts at only AU$11.99 a month, though you can purchase a whole year up front for only AU$119.99, which is equivalent to getting around two months for free.

Along with Disney's huge selection of family-friendly films and TV shows, the subscription price also grants you access to the Star catalogue, which brings a large helping of adult-oriented content to the service.

To gain access to everything that Disney Plus has to offer, including the Best Picture Oscar-winner Nomadland (available from April 30, 2021), simply click one of the options below.

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Daniel Pateman is a freelance writer, producing articles across the cultural spectrum for magazines like Aesthetica, Photomonitor, The Brooklyn Rail and This is Tomorrow. He also provides text-writing services to individual curators and artists worldwide, and has had work published internationally. His favourite film genre is horror (bring on Scream 5!) and he never tires of listening to Absolute 80s on the radio.