First Cow Movie Review

First Cow (2019)

Rent First Cow on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the book (paid link) 
Written by: Jonathan Raymond (novel "The Half-Life"), Jonathan Raymond & Kelly Reichardt (screenplay)
Directed by: Kelly Reichardt
Starring: John Magaro, Orion Lee, Toby Jones, Lily Gladstone, Alia Shawkat
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
In 1820, a cook travels to Oregon where he meets a Chinese immigrant also looking to make his fortune. Soon, they team up in a dangerous scheme to steal milk from a prized local cow, the first and only in the territory.

Verdict
It's very deliberate with a slow pace that reflects the time period. Two men have nothing, hoping for just a piece of anything. We know their plan is reckless and so do they, but they hope it lasts just long enough for them to save enough to move away. The production values are great, and I love the focus and minimalism of the film. While it's not going to appeal to everyone, it has a lot of confidence. The ending manages to show nothing while telling us everything, revealing a self-assurance so few movies possess.
Watch It.

Review
This isn't a movie that's going to have a wide appeal, but it is a very good movie. The first scene opens in the present day. A woman and her dog discover two skeletons just below the the surface. We watch as she uncovers them, only hearing ambient sounds as we see shots of the river nearby. The final image is the two skeletons lying next to each other before this cuts back in time to 1820 where Cookie (John Magaro) gathers mushrooms.

Cookie is the cook for a group of trappers in the northwest. One night Cookie finds Lu (Orion Lee) in the woods on the run. Cookie agrees to help him hide. I don't know why, maybe they're both two guys out of their depth. The next morning Lu runs off.

It's slow paced, but it fits the world and time. Life was slower back then. I like how deliberate this is.

Cookie's group makes it to a fort where he runs into Lu. Cookie took care of Lu, and Lu returns the favor by giving him a place to stay. They're bonded through aiding each other, and they share their goals of going into business. Cookie wants to open a bakery while Lu wants to start a farm.

Wealthy trader Chief Factor (Toby Jone) has three cows shipped in, though two die. Cookie muses about what he could make with milk, like biscuits. Both men lament that there's no way to get ahead. How can they achieve their dreams without some kind of help? Lu begins asking Cookie specifics on milking a cow, and they form a plan. They'll milk the lone cow under the cover of night.

Cookie makes biscuits, and Lu posits they could make a lot of money by selling them at the fort since resources are scarce. At first they want milk to make themselves biscuits, then they decide to sell cakes. Greed is predictable. They're going to need more milk to make even more cakes as they're so popular. There's no way the cow's owner doesn't grow suspicious. Their scheme can only last so long before they're caught or someone figures out what they're doing. The cakes becomes so popular that Chief Factor wants one. He asks the pair to bake for an upcoming event he has. Lu states it's dangerous, but Cookie retorts that some people can't imagine anyone would steal from them. Chief Factor won't realize. Plus, the pay is sizable. Cooke grows nervous about going to Chief Factor's house, but Lu tells them they must take what they can get. They have California dreams, and that takes money.

John Magaro, Orion Lee play Cookie, Lu

Their plot is discovered by accident, and they flee before apprehension though they leave their supplies. Chief Factor has his ideas on the culprits. Cookie and Lu's scheme fell apart so quickly. They're on the run and separated, but I appreciate both of them go back to their shack looking for the other.

The way this ends is so amazing. They're running from Chief Factor and his friends. Cookie lies down, exhausted and likely dazed by an earlier head injury. Lu lies down next to him and tells him he'll keep watch. We know they're being tracked. They shouldn't stop. We also saw the bodies found in the present day to open the movie. We may not know the exact details of what happened, but we know enough to guess. I love an ending that provides all the information but doesn't need to explain it all. It threads the needle on what to show and tell. A lesser movie would have shown us everything, but this movie is confident we'll know what happened and that our imaginations can spin a story bigger than anything this could show us.