FIRST COW

Written and Directed by Kelly Reichardt (“Wendy and Lucy”) screenplay by Reichardt and her frequent collaborator Jonathan Raymond, whose novel they loosely adapted).

The majority of the film is set in 1820s Oregon. The mood – very quiet, slow and landscape driven. “First Cow” brings us into the harsh conditions of the frontier and those willing to rough it out in order to make their fortunes. Although, most were not independent, but rather working for bigger entities with stakes to capitalize on the riches of beaver pelts, oils and the likes.

Otis “Cookie” Figowitz (John Magaro) finds himself in this uncompromising wooded land having signed on to be a cook for a couple of hard to please trappers.  While foraging for truffles he finds King-Lu (Orion Lee) hiding in some bushes, naked and hungry. He’s been trying to outrun some Russian trappers who he unintentionally wronged.  Cookie feeds and shelters him for the night, unbeknownst to his rough companion/employers. King-Lu leaves undetected in the morning. The two meet up again later, Cookie now unemployed.  The two soon strike up a bond of friendship.

Cookie confides in King-Lu that he has dreams of one day opening a hotel/bakery; this King-Lu finds interesting as he’s all about commerce. His mind is constantly twirling, figuring and at times scheming of ways to get ahead and create wealth.  It’s this attitude of all-American salesmanship combined with Cookie’s abilities as a baker, which lead them into the oily cake business.  This is where it turns into a #foodiefilm as these oily cakes become the Oregon Territory worker’s Cronut craze. I would describe them as funnel cakes topped with honey and cinnamon, but instead of pouring the batter into that Bavarian design we all enjoy every summer, these are just plops of dough, like odd shaped balls. No matter, it’s a successful hustle, with one major drawback – the milk Cookie uses to make the oily cakes comes from the only cow in the territory, owned by the wealthy Chief Factor (Toby Jones), something akin to an early governor. The stolen milk makes the partners operation tricky, to say the least.

“It’s just a funny thing, because you make a film and you’re being so careful about what you’re getting across, that you’re not explicitly pointing a finger or anything and trying to create this world of being articulate and having ambiguity. And then it’s like, ‘OK, go and tell everyone exactly what you were thinking,’” Reichardt said. “If anything, I guess I’d just say that we were like, ‘Wow, from the start a country of immigrants,’ like everyone was an immigrant except for the Chinook and all the tribes that were there before, the First Nations people. But I guess just some look at the question of: Can capitalism work with the natural world? Can those two things coexist?” – Kelly Reichardt

“First Cow’ is one of those films that you have to admit is quality, beautifully shot, and stays true to the filmmaker’s vision.  And there is also something about movies dealing with true and intimate friendships that is more interesting than romantic love.  Still, I get antsy when a movie focuses too fully on the mundane and repetition. How many truffles do we have to see Cookie collect before he discovers King-Lu.  How many times do we have to see them going back to “borrow” the milk from the divine bovine.  I tend to lose patience with this type of pacing, but I know I’m in the minority. True film buffs will enjoy Reichardt’s slow building, artistic look at this time in rural America.

Tinsel & Tine LAMB rating: 3.5 outta 5

FIRST COW is now available On-Demand through A24