Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

First Cow Blu-ray Movie Review

Keep Oregon history weird.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 23, 2020

Though other cities have evidently co-opted it over the course of the last several years, as an Oregonian I must insist that “keep Portland weird” came first and that the phrase indeed can easily be applied to Oregon as a whole, so that other cities co-opting it is in reality no problem, at least if they’re in this state. Yes, that was said with tongue planted firmly in cheek, but if you need any further indication of just how weird Oregon can be, my suggestion is to look no further than First Cow, a film which provides a whimsical Oregon set story that is fictional but is so odd that it seems perfectly plausible, at least within the confines and context of Oregon’s sometimes rather peculiar history. Based on a novel by Jonathan Raymond (who co-wrote the screenplay with director Kelly Reichardt) which Raymond himself admits he long considered "unadaptable", in the lengthier than usual making of featurette included on this disc as a supplement, First Cow found its footing as a film when the focus on a cow was introduced (from what I’m gleaning from the supplement, the bovine was not part of the original novel formulation). And in fact the story revolves around what is supposedly the, yes, first cow to arrive in whatever part of Oregon this is supposed to be, something that becomes rather unexpectedly important to a character whose nickname, Cookie (John Magaro), may indicate both his chosen profession as well as the reason for his interest in this particular animal.

The film actually begins in the present day, where a woman and her dog stumble across a rather gruesome discovery. Suffice it to say that while broad and probably unambiguous hints are dropped as to what happened to create this discovery as the film wends toward its close, it's perhaps just one sign of the artistry of both Reichardt and Raymond that nothing is really overtly depicted. Also suffice it to say that after this introductory prelude, the bulk of the film takes place in a kind of gritty 19th century where the Pacific Northwest has not been tamed and where there are relatively few creature comforts (pun intended, given the plot's emphasis on the scarcity of cows).

Cookie is a kind of sweet, soft spoken, almost nerdish presence in a hardscrabble world where he doesn't really seem to fit in. That may be one reason he becomes friends with another outcast, a Chinese man named King-Lu (Orion Lee), whom Cookie meets when King-Lu is at least under duress and perhaps mortal danger. When the pair discover that a local rich guy who goes by his official title of Chief Factor (Toby Jones) has imported the sole cow in the region, Cookie suggests he could make some tasty delicacies with the help of a little milk. That sets into motion one of the more preposterous "theft rings" in cinematic history, with Cookie and Lu sneaking onto Factor's property and secretly milking his cow in the dead of night, and then turning the "proceeds" into baked goods that become something of a rage with the local population. (In a probably peculiar and somewhat joking way, this particular plot point kind of reminded me of a vegetarian if not vegan version of the reaction to other "stolen" supposed foodstuffs in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert.)

While Jonathan Raymond is evidently, like yours truly, a Portlander, Reichardt who (to my knowledge at least) is not an Oregonian seems to be genuinely transfixed by this region of the world, as evidenced by her Oregon set films Old Joy, Wendy and Lucy , Meek's Cutoff and Night Moves (all either written or co-written by Raymond, it should be added). The collaboration seems oddly if understandably attuned to how personal relationships can unfold in this sometimes dreary, often rainy, part of the world, and the same level of intimacy that suffuses the pair’s previous works is certainly on hand again in First Cow. And in fact in a “narrative” that seems kind of like an errant mushroom hunter (as Cookie is shown to be in the film’s segue from contemporary to olden times) wandering to and fro exploring various forested nooks and crannies, it’s the relationship between Cookie and King-Lu that gives this film so much emotional power.

First Cow Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

First Cow is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. This is a highly stylized presentation which, despite being captured with Arri Alexas, has been treated in post to clearly resemble 16mm (as is mentioned overtly by cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt in the making of featurette included on this disc as a supplement). There's a rather gritty texture to many of the visuals as a result, with grading choices veering between slightly desaturated and some kind of cool grays and greens, as befits the Pacific Northwest setting. Detail levels are often surprisingly strong, at least in close-ups and when lighting conditions allow, and a lot of the scenic material, while not "vivid" in the traditional sense, is really stunning looking within the kind of autumnal or even wintry ambience the film often presents (there are some sundrenched, more summery, scenes, but like life in Oregon in general, they're typically interstitials). As Blauvelt also mentions, the film relies quite a bit on natural lighting, and as a result some of the dark material can suffer from deficits in detail. There are some pretty long stretches of the film that take place either in night, or in day for night moments, as well as dimly lit interior scenes, and screenshots 14 through 19 offer a few examples of the look of some of these scenes.

First Cow Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

First Cow features a subtle but quite immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The glut of outdoor material means that there are near constant ambient environmental sounds dotting the surround channels, and the kind of jangly, rootsy score by William Tyler also spreads through the soundstage quite winningly. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout this problem free track. Optional subtitles in English and Spanish are available.

First Cow Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Place in this World (1080p; 26:59) is an above average making of featurette with some good interviews with the cast and crew.

First Cow Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

First Cow is, kind of like Oregon itself, sui generis, and so those wanting a "traditional" western may be confounded by what this film has to offer. The story here is unique, to say the least, but the winning cast (which also includes René Auberjonois in one of his last performances) really elevates already interesting material, and the visual acuity of this piece is often remarkable. Technical merits are solid, and First Cow comes Highly recommended.