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First Cow film image; two men standing in a field

First Cow

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Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow had the misfortune of a March 2020 theatrical release date… It went on to win many critical plaudits (the New York Film Critics Circle named it the best film of the year) but it certainly hasn’t been seen as widely as it should have been. Co-written by her regular collaborator Jon Raymond, based on his novel The Half-Life, this is set, for the most part, in Oregon Territory in 1820. The eponymous beast is a lonely Jersey cow, the property of the richest man in town, but surreptitiously milked every night by a baker (John Magaro, from Koln 75) and his enterprising buddy, King-Lu (Orion Lee). The two men hope that biscuits will be their golden ticket…

Kelly Reichardt’s latest, The Mastermind is an unusual heist movie, with John Magaro in a supporting role.

A parable of economics and politics, with shrewd insights into the workings of supply and demand, scarcity and scale and other puzzles of the marketplace, the movie is also keenly attuned to details of history, both human and natural.

AO Scott, New York Times

A stealthy, resonant, and finally riveting tale.

Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph

Director

Kelly Reichardt

Cast

John Magaro, Orion Lee, Ewen Bremner, Lily Gladstone, Rene Auberjonois

Credits
Country of Origin

USA

Year

2019

Language

English

Awards

Best Film, New York Film Critics Circle

19+
122 min

Book Tickets

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Credits

Executive Producer

Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, Louise Lovegrove, Christopher Carroll

Producer

Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani

Screenwriter

Jon Raymond, Kelly Reichardt

Cinematography

Christopher Blauvelt

Editor

Kelly Reichardt

Original Music

William Tyler

Production Design

Anthony Gasparro

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