Review of First Cow (2020) by Jluis_001 — 25 Jul 2020

First Cow is a film that will put you in a trance if you decide to enjoy it that way.

It could certainly be said that even the most atmospheric films are still a means of entertaining, but even in the face of the excellent quality of the production, it will all be reduced to whether this is the kind of film you're looking for as entertainment.

Kelly Reichardt's new film is an adaptation of Jon Raymond's novel, The Half-Life. He also wrote the screenplay alongside Reichardt.

I honestly don't have any opinions on the novel because I didn't even know it, so I can't tell if the director's treatment was the right one but regardless of that fact, personally I think Reichardt delivered a great film.

First Cow favors tone and atmosphere over narrative, therefore I must emphasize that although the friendship story is the main engine of the film; The rhythm, the lack of dialogue and the way in which events unfold, are things that are more focused on your immersion in the situation rather than just observing it from a distance.

John Magaro and Orion Lee are completely in tune and both actors hold the film perfectly because as I said this is a story about friendship and because of the lack of dialogue, the only thing that makes that believable, are their expressions and emotions and they both do a pretty good job.

First Cow will reward your patience if you allow it to captivate you and you allow yourself to absorb its pace and story.

To me was a great film and is yet another strong addition for A24’s catalogue.