Orion Lee and John Magaro star in First Cow. In cinemas now.
Leading American independent filmmaker Kelly Reichardt (Meek's Cutoff, Certain Women) once again demonstrates her skill for telling gently affecting stories with this low-key wonderful historical drama.
After a brief contemporary prelude, we jump back to early 1800s America and join a party of fur trappers in the forest. The cook,
named Cookie (John Margaro), helps a Chinese man named King-Lu (Orion Lee) evade Russian pursuers.
Several weeks later, they reunite at a small nearby settlement and become friends. When a local Brit imports a cow to provide milk for his tea, Cookie and King-Lu team up to steal some of that milk. The sweet treats Cookie is then able to make prove popular enough with the locals for the pair to consider even more ambitious plans.
A film of quiet pleasures, First Cow rests on the relationship between its two lead characters, and spending time with them is an absolute pleasure. Both men embody aspects of the idea of America, although Reichardt is clear-eyed about the reality of those ideals.
Margaro and Lee offer contrasting performances, with the former all mumbly concern and the latter driven by an infectious enthusiasm for life's possibilities. The film does a spectacular job of getting the audience to invest in their tentative partnership.
There is a grounded, grimy authenticity here that separates this from many portraits of frontier life, but a hopeful outlook pervades regardless. And although it's mostly in the background, First Cow at times presents an interestingly atypical portrayal of Native Americans.
