New_York_Magazine_-_March_16_2020

the director Kelly Reichardt

edits her own films, and her

rhythms at the start of her 19th-century

frontier drama, First Cow, are idiosyncrat-

ic if not inscrutable. You can’t predict when

she’ll cut away or where she’ll linger ... or

dawdle, depending on your patience for

longueurs. You might find your mind wan-

dering ... until she jolts you awake with a

revelation, a flash of connection between

two souls, or the first stirrings of dread.

That’s when you feel most alive—when you

find her wavelength and the inscrutable is

suddenly crystalline.

Again, that can take a while. The opening

of First Cow is loose bordering on limp, the

aura of drift a depressant. In a prologue, a

woman (Alia Shawkat) with a dog uncovers

a pair of human skeletons, after which the

film appears to jump back in time. (There

are no explanatory titles.) The mild-

mannered protagonist, Cookie Figowitz

(John Magaro), works as a cook for a band

of surly trappers in the Pacific Northwest;

his most tender moments are spent gather-

ing wild mushrooms (chanterelles, I think,

but don’t take my word for it—or ever let me

be your wild- mushroom guide). Cookie has

no roots, no ties to the material world. He’s

barely there—until he does a good turn for a

naked Chinese man on the run

from vengeful Russians and a

bond begins to form tentatively but

with increasing firmness. When

the enterprising King Lu (Orion

Lee) concocts a plan to extract (i.e.,

steal) milk every night from the

region’s lone bovine, you may finally glimpse

a narrative path forward. For Reichardt, it

takes two to get a rhythm going.

And two might be all you need. Co-

written by Jonathan Raymond (the script

based loosely on his novel The Half-Life),

First Cow opens with a line from William

Blake’s “Proverbs of Hell”: “The bird a nest,

the spider a web, man friendship.” A star-

tling assertion that home isn’t a place or

thing but a connection to someone not you.

(Sartre’s “Hell is other people” can be

regarded as a related—not opposing—

contention.) Blake’s conception of home

applies to the major characters in all of

Reichardt’s films, nomads for whom alien-

ation is a baseline state and alliance (with a

person or, in Wendy and Lucy, a dog), the

only means of attaining a sense of perma-

nence. The prospect of losing a friendship

triggers existential dread in Reichardt’s first

feature, Old Joy (also based on a story by

Raymond), while the anti-hero of the eco-

thriller Night Moves defends the Earth at

the expense of human ties and ends up

(along with everyone else) in hell.

You can infer from Reichardt’s films that

capitalism divides (and conquers) more reli-

ably than it unites, although the theme isn’t

spelled out. (Nothing is spelled out.) What

you register in the frontier town of

First Cow is what’s absent: a sense

of community, of a shared enter-

prise. Reichardt evokes Robert Alt-

man’s Pacific Northwest–set mas-

terpiece, McCabe & Mrs. Miller,

with shots of the late René Auber- PHOTOGRAPH: ALLYSON RIGGS COURTESY OF A24

DENNIS GRIMALDIPRESENTS

New York City Center Stage II

131 W 55th St

212-581-1212 | NYCITYCENTER.org

HarryTownsendsLastStand.com

FINAL WEEKS

Sometimes it’s harder to like

someone than it is to love them

WRITTEN BY

GEORGE EASTMAN

DIRECTED BY

KAREN CARPENTER

LEN CARIOU

DAVID LANSBURY

Photos: Jeremy Varner

“COMEDY PACKED WITH

NUGGETS OF WISDOM”

“One of the most touching

plays on the

New York stage”

MOVIES / DAVID EDELSTEIN

Dairy Kings

In Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow, capitalism

continues to divide and conquer.

FIRST COW

DIRECTED BY KELLY

REICHARDT.

A24. PG-13.

John Magaro

ADVANCED FORM AD

TRANSMITTED

________ COPY ___ DD ___ AD ___ PD ___ EIC

0620CR_Critics_lay [Print]_36887654.indd 82 3/12/20 5:51 PM

thedirectorKellyReichardt

edits her ownfilms, and her

rhythmsat thestartofher19th-century

frontierdrama,FirstCow,areidiosyncrat-

ic if notinscrutable.Youcan’t predict when

she’ll cutawayorwhereshe’lllinger...or

dawdle,dependingonyourpatiencefor

longueurs.Youmightfindyourmindwan-

dering...untilshejoltsyouawake witha

revelation,a flashofconnectionbetween

twosouls,orthefirststirringsofdread.

That’swhenyoufeelmost alive—whenyou

findherwavelengthandtheinscrutableis

suddenly crystalline.

Again, that can take a while. The opening

of First Cow is loose bordering on limp, the

aura of drift a depressant. In a prologue, a

woman (Alia Shawkat) with a dog uncovers

a pair of human skeletons, after which the

film appears to jump back in time. (There

are no explanatory titles.) The mild-

mannered protagonist, Cookie Figowitz

(John Magaro), works as a cook for a band

of surly trappers in the Pacific Northwest;

his most tender moments are spent gather-

ing wild mushrooms (chanterelles, I think,

but don’t take my word for it—or ever let me

be your wild- mushroom guide). Cookie has

no roots, no ties to the material world. He’s

barely there—until he does a good turn for a

naked Chinese man on the run

from vengeful Russiansanda

bond begins to form tentativelybut

with increasing firmness.When

the enterprising King Lu(Orion

Lee) concocts a plan to extract(i.e.,

steal) milk every nightfromthe

region’s lonebovine,youmay finallyglimpse

a narrativepathforward.ForReichardt,it

takestwotogeta rhythmgoing.

Andtwomightbeallyouneed.Co-

writtenbyJonathanRaymond(thescript

basedlooselyonhisnovelTheHalf-Life),

FirstCowopenswitha linefromWilliam

Blake’s“ProverbsofHell”:“Thebirda nest,

thespidera web,manfriendship.”A star-

tlingassertionthat homeisn’t a placeor

thingbuta connectiontosomeonenotyou.

(Sartre’s“Hellisotherpeople” canbe

regarded asa related—notopposing—

contention.) Blake’s conception of home

applies to the major characters in all of

Reichardt’s films, nomads for whom alien-

ation is a baseline state and alliance (with a

person or, in Wendy and Lucy, a dog), the

only means of attaining a sense of perma-

nence. The prospect of losing a friendship

triggers existential dread in Reichardt’s first

feature, Old Joy (also based on a story by

Raymond), while the anti-hero oftheeco-

thriller Night Moves defends theEarthat

the expense of human ties andendsup

(along with everyone else) in hell.

You can infer from Reichardt’sfilmsthat

capitalism divides (and conquers)morereli-

ably than it unites, although the themeisn’t

spelled out. (Nothing is spelled out.) What

you register in the frontiertownof

First Cow is what’s absent:a sense

of community, of a sharedenter-

prise. Reichardt evokes RobertAlt-

man’s Pacific Northwest–setmas-

terpiece, McCabe & Mrs.Miller,

with shots of the late RenéAuber- PHOTOGRAPH: ALLYSON RIGGS COURTESY OF A24

DENNISGRIMALDIPRESENTS

NewYorkCityCenterStageII

131 W55thSt

212-581-1212 | NYCITYCENTER.org

HarryTownsendsLastStand.com

FINAL WEEKS

Sometimesit’shardertolike

someonethanit is tolovethem

WRITTENBY

GEORGEEASTMAN

DIRECTEDBY

KARENCARPENTER

LENCARIOU

DAVIDLANSBURY

Photos: Jeremy Varner

“COMEDYPACKEDWITH

NUGGETSOFWISDOM”

“One of the most touching

plays on the

New York stage”

MOVIES / DAVID EDELSTEIN

Dairy Kings

In Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow, capitalism

continues to divide and conquer.

FIRST COW

DIRECTED BY KELLY

REICHARDT.

A24. PG-13.

John Magaro