First Cow

'First Cow' may show an origin of capitalism, but unlike the wild west of Wall Street, Reichardt points to an alternate reality where it's not the muscle of capitalism that conquers, but rather the sweet companionship and commitment to fellowship that will, not the greed of self-interest. In Reichardt's world, greed is a modern illness, and it's only when Cookie and King-Lu's solidarity falters that their lives begin to unravel. People will succeed in cooperation, not at the expense of others - a lesson that feels even more important now in 2020 than it may have ever felt in 1820.

• Joel Kalkopf

Read Joel's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-first-cow-a-minimalist-portrait-of-the-american-dream

8/10/2020 4 stars

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As you should know by now, I love watching films as blind as possible: no trailers and a minimum amount of information about the plot (or none at all). A24 became such a popular studio that I dont even need to know anything else about the movie, Im always in. Universal, Paramount, Warner Bros., Disney, and Columbia might be the Big Five of film studios, but gradually people are starting to shift their attention to smaller, independent ones who deliver fewer movies per year, but a higher ratio of great films. This is also the very first movie I watch from Kelly Reichardt. The simplest of research will show everyone that her films are meant to...

This is a gently comedic story of a couple of pioneering Oregon frontiersmen. Cook-cum-baker John Magaro ("Cookie") who falls in with the entrepreneurial "King-Lu" (Orion Lee). The pair quickly realise that there is a decent amount of money to be made by indulging the sweet teeth of their fellow hardy companions - and when they discover that the local headman has had a cow delivered - the only one for miles - a clandestine business that involves purloining the milk from said cow to enhance their cakes offers riches, but some risk too - the factor (Toby Jones) is unaware that his is, technically, the manna from which these delicious sweets are being made. What follows is a little bit predictable, but nonetheless enjoyable to watch as they tr...

For sure not a Hollywood film. This film is a beautifully executed character study about friendship.