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First Cow

Awards 2020: Contenders

6.9

1,110

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Original title: First Cow
Year: 2019
Running time: 121 min.
Country: United States
Director: Kelly Reichardt
Screenwriter: Jonathan Raymond, Kelly Reichardt (Novel: Jonathan Raymond)
Music: William Tyler
Cinematography: Christopher Blauvelt
Cast: John Magaro, Orion Lee, Toby Jones, Ewen Bremner, Scott Shepherd, Gary Farmer, Lily Gladstone, Alia Shawkat, John Keating, Dylan Smith, Jared Kasowski, Rene Auberjonois, Todd A. Robinson, T. Dan Hopkins, Ted Rooney, Patrick D. Green, Clayton Nemrow, Jeb Berrier
Producer: Film Science, A24, IAC Films (Distributor: A24)
Genre: Drama. Western | 19th Century. Friendship
Synopsis / Plot: A taciturn loner and skilled cook (John Magaro) has traveled west and joined a group of fur trappers in Oregon Territory, though he only finds true connection with a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee) also seeking his fortune; soon the two collaborate on a successful business, although its longevity is reliant upon the clandestine participation of a nearby wealthy landowner’s prized milking cow.

Awards: 2020: National Board of Review (NBR): Top Films

2020: New York Film Critics Circle: Best Picture

2020: Independent Spirit Awards: Nominated for Best Film, Direction & Supp. Actor

2020: National Society of Film Critics: 3 Nominations, including Best Picture

2020: Berlin Film Festival: Oficial Selection

2020: Boston Society of Film Critics Awards: 3 Nominations, Runner-Up Best Film

Show 3 more awards

2020: Chicago Film Critics Awards: 6 Nominations, including Best Picture

2020: Gotham Awards: Nom. for Best Film, Screenplay, Actor & Breakthrough Actor

2020: Gijon Film Festival: Best Film in the Albar Section

Critics' reviews

"While not a lot happens in 'First Cow' by the standards of most two-hour narrative films, and some may wish for a less open-ended conclusion, the drama's rough-edged lyricism kept me rapt the entire time"

David Rooney: The Hollywood Reporter
"Loose yet engaging (...) Reichardt excels at communing with natural beauty and humankind’s complex relationship to it, but 'First Cow' pushes that motif into timeless resonance."

Eric Kohn: IndieWire
"Reichardt specializes in pared-down narratives, sometimes stripping away so much that boredom sets in. 'First Cow' may be lean, but it offers ample room to ruminate"

Peter Debruge: Variety
"Meticulously crafted and serene, 'First Cow' is also admittedly a little indiscernible and probably only for Reichardt completists and obsessives (...) A pleasant and subtle film"

Rodrigo Perez: The Playlist
"A simultaneously gentle and unsparing dissection of the formative flaws of capitalism, and thus of the 'American dream' (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"

Allison Shoemaker: rogerebert.com
"[A] stealthy, resonant, and finally riveting tale (...) [It] is shot with a typically understated beauty (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"

Tim Robey: Telegraph
"It is a tremendously engaging story which does something that very few movies do: mention money. Something very palpable is at stake (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"

Peter Bradshaw: The Guardian
"Reichardt has always told small stories for a small audience, and even within those self-imposed constraints, First Cow is a minor work."

Stephen Whitty: Screendaily

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Ranking Lists Position

40 My favorite 2020 movies (18)

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