First Cow (2019) Movie Review
The buzz around First Cow has been insane. It made virtually every “Best of 2020 So Far” list and people were hailing it as one of the best indie movies in years. Director Kelly Reichardt usually delivers truly stunning work, so First Cow went straight to the top of my watch list. It did not disappoint me.
The story is a simple one. Set in the 1800’s, the movie follows Cookie (John Magaro) who is part of a group of fur trappers. He is the cook, hence his nickname, and doesn’t appear to fit in very well with the burly and gruff trappers he travels with. By chance, he meets King-Lu (Orion Lee), naked in the woods. King-Lu is a Chinese immigrant who got into a scuffle with a different group of trappers and is on the run. They become fast friends. During the course of their friendship, they discuss their goals and dreams. Both want to be successful and make more money than their fur trapping colleagues.
They go into business together, but their business hinges on stealing milk from the only cow for miles. The cow is owned by Chief Factor (Toby Jones), the head honcho of the tiny trapping village. King-Lu and Cookie sneak to see the cow at night and steal her milk. Then they make oily cakes with the milk and sell them. Of course, milk is a rarity in the wild and rugged country of 1800’s Oregon, so the cakes are a hot commodity. As you might surmise, the two friends can only get away with their thievery for so long.
The plot is a simple one based on friendship and a shared interest in being successful and independent. But Reichardt works her magic to infuse each shot with a calculated precision that you’ll appreciate if you’ve grown tired of the quick edits of action movies. She lets people enter and exit the frame at will and focuses on smaller moments that add to the overall flavor of First Cow. At one point early in the film, Cookie is walking through the woods and finds some type of lizard that is on its back. He gently reaches down to flip it over. A small moment that wouldn’t be allowed in other films, is given a chance to occur. At the same time, it tells us something about Cookie’s character without any dialogue needed.
Similarly, the cinematography explores each frame as if it has a mind of its own. At one point, we pan across a sleeping Chief Factor from left to right, only to pan back over the exact same scene from right to left. It’s little things like this that make First Cow interesting to watch. That and the camaraderie between Cookie and King-Lu. Their friendship is a shining light in the Oregon wilderness and it is fun to watch their story unfold. They meet some interesting characters along the way. One of my favorites was a man who brings a baby to a tiny bar and asks Cookie to look after it when he gets goaded into a fight.
Reichardt fills the movie with memorable encounters and moments, which adds to the overall ambiance of the film. The stillness of the movie will stay with you and you might want to have a second viewing of First Cow, just to make sure you truly enjoyed each moment appropriately.
Film or Movie: Film
You’ll like this film if:
1. You like a slow pace
2. You are interested in the Western frontier in the 1800’s
3. You want to watch a friendship unfold
