A filmmaker needs not be as bombastic as Michael Bay or Quentin Tarantino to be divisive. In the case of Kelly Reichardt, her brand of gradual, humanist character studies are just as polarizing. Some find them extremely slow and boring, others see them as subtle and soulful. Your mileage may vary, basically, and that will undoubtedly continue to be true for her next film, First Cow, which has a new trailer courtesy of the indie taste-makers at A24.
Starring John Magaro (Not Fade Away) and Orion Lee, First Cow is another of Reichardt’s films to explore a specific, somewhat unusual relationship, this time between an Oregon cook and a Chinese immigrant in the 1820s Pacific Northwest. The cast includes the late René Auberjonois, Toby Jones, Ewen Bremner, Alia Shawkat, and Certain Women breakout Lily Gladstone.
SYNOPSIS: A loner and cook (John Magaro) has traveled west and joined a group of fur trappers in Oregon Territory, though he only finds connection with a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee). The men collaborate on a business, although its longevity is reliant upon the participation of a wealthy landowner’s prized milking cow.
First Cow opens on March 6th.
