First Cow Shows off Reichardt’s Skills

The review:
There’s a sense of peace that comes over me when I watch any Kelly Reichardt film.* Watching Cookie and King-Lu form a friendship and a business in the time of early 19th-century Oregon was a quiet meditation on friendship and dreams of the future. As always, the dialog is sparse, the actors telegraph much,** and the landscape is almost another character.
The verdict: Recommended
Cost: $3.99 via Redbox On Demand
Where watched: at home
Consider also watching:
Further sentences:
*It’s the equivalent to those people who find it calming to hear people whisper.
**Watching the actors in a Reichardt film is always a treat, and this pair (John Magaro and Orion Lee) reminded me a lot of Daniel London and Will Oldham in Old Joy. So much unsaid but still said!
Questions:
- Did you feel the opening of the film unduly influenced your viewing of the film?
- Why do you think Cookie and King-Lu connected?
Favorite IMDB trivia item:
First Cow (2019) is the first Kelly Reichardt film to receive a PG-13 rating.
(I can’t think why. Language?
Common Sense Media says language, drinking, and smoking.)
Other reviews of First Cow:
- Allison Shoemaker, RogerEbert.com
- Karen Han, Polygon
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This isn’t my usual kind of movie but I have to admit, the trailer kind of sold it to me!
Excellent job, trailer! One critic I heard mentioned that she thought cows were inherently funny.
This was filmed not far from where I live, and totally captures the chilly-and-not-hot vibe. Thanks for the comment!