A taciturn loner and skilled cook has traveled west and joined a group of fur trappers in Oregon Territory, though he only finds true connection with a Chinese immigrant also seeking his fortune; s...
If you’ve seen the bizarre pieces of art such as Swiss Army Man, The Lobster, Tusk, or recently Midsommar or The Lighthouse, you’d probably think A24’s “First Cow” is another to join that top tier list. The title, let alone the film in general is nowhere as weird as it would apply to whoever watches it but the film, like most of A24’s films, is relatively top tier. Similar to “Hamilton”, it constantly invites the audience to really ponder about what’s being presented in front of them but this time, about the difference between reality and illusion: selflessness vs. innovation, the entire essence of mankind and the entrepreneurial view on the formative flaws of capitalism while presenting a moving tale of friendship at its core. All of these speak to a story that while I praise for its point of precision despite it’s unoriginality, I must also praise due to the direction given from Kelly Reichardt, for there’s something so modest and delicate about how she packages so much nuance in a done-to-death story and still give it a life of its own.
The 4:3 aspect ratio gives the action an archaic, squared-off frame that A24 had become known for (and what Gretel and Hansel did poorly at), chemistry between its stars were believable and very well done with the characters likable enough to boot, it does an excellent job conveying its setting to teleport us back to the 1820’s, the films brutal but simplistically low standards in the story set up and further benefit from the harsh reality behind a primordial USA thanks to the slow languid pacing and William Tyler’s beautiful, serene score consists of simple streamlined guitar-strums that serve as a necessary distraction to the brutal and pastoral inevitability behind the disaster that eventually comes and had already came. On top of all of that, this film indirectly shows us how this tale isn’t about the end more than it is about the moments in between.
Despite the opening 45 minutes eventually waring down on me in spite of me knowing this was a film that likes to linger on for a while, I appreciated what I was indirectly telling us. But similar to The Lighthouse, Uncut Gems, Moonlight and all their other films, this type of movie isn’t for everyone.
