First Cow

Kelly Reichardt (2019)

John Magaro, Orion Lee, Toby Jones Rated 12A Run time 115 mins
A taciturn loner and skilled cook (John Magaro) has travelled west to join fur trappers in Oregon Territory where he forges a connection with a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee) who is also seeking his fortune. Soon the two collaborate on a highly successful business, but its longevity is perilously reliant upon the clandestine participation of a nearby wealthy landowners (Toby Jones) prized milking cow.
Kelly Reichardt once again trains her perceptive and patient eye on the Pacific Northwest, this time evoking an authentically hardscrabble early nineteenth century way of life. Superbly distinctive, and oddity and a fable, it is a triumph.
96% – Rotten Tomatoes
7.1/10 – IMDB
“Rather than the widescreen vistas that have come to define America on screen, Reichardt and Blauvelt once again find piercing beauty in more personal framings”
“Kelly Reichardt’s offbeat gem about an unlikely friendship founded on biscuits is a satisfying fable of America’s past and present”
First Cow review – celebrating the milk of human kindness – The Guardian