--- title: "First Cow" year: 2020 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/first-cow" fi1m_id: "first-cow" imdb_id: "tt9231040" tmdb_id: 558582 wikidata_id: "Q65082453" fi1m_score: 85 critics_score: 79 critics_reviews: 30 published: "2026-09-30T20:07:00.332142+00:00" updated: "2026-09-30T20:07:00.894718+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # First Cow (2020) Directed by Kelly Reichardt · 2h 02m · MPA PG-13 · Drama, Western ## Identity First Cow - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/first-cow - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** first-cow - **IMDb ID:** tt9231040 - **TMDB ID:** 558582 - **Wikidata ID:** Q65082453 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9231040/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/558582, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q65082453 **Fi1m score: 85** · Critics 79 from 30 reviews *In a sentence:* The origin of American business, and it turns out to be two men whispering to a cow at midnight > Kelly Reichardt’s frontier story about a cook, a fugitive and a stolen pail of milk is among her best: funny, patient and quietly upsetting. It is slow by design, and once or twice it says its point out loud, but the friendship at its centre is real. ## Synopsis A woman (Alia Shawkat) walking her dog on a riverbank uncovers two skeletons side by side. Then the Oregon Territory, the 1820s. Cookie (John Magaro), a cook hired by a party of fur trappers, gathers mushrooms in the woods and is bullied by the men he feeds. One night in the ferns he finds King-Lu (Orion Lee), a Chinese immigrant hiding from Russians who want him dead for killing one of them. Cookie hides him. They part, and meet again at a trading fort run by the Chief Factor (Toby Jones), whose prize possession, the first cow in the territory, has just arrived by raft. The two friends begin milking her at night so Cookie can fry the cakes he learned as a baker’s apprentice. ## Review Kelly Reichardt has made several films about people at the edge of the money economy, and *First Cow*, written with Jonathan Raymond from his own novel, is the one where she goes back to the beginning. The Oregon Territory of the 1820s has a fort, some trappers, a few Chinook families and no history yet. Into it come a cow and two men who see what she is worth. It is a small film about the first customer in America, and we think it is one of the two or three best things Reichardt has made. Cookie (John Magaro) is a cook who cannot stand up to anyone, travelling with trappers who take his food and kick his cooking pot. King-Lu (Orion Lee) is a talker with plans, wanted for a killing and short of capital. When the Chief Factor (Toby Jones) brings the territory’s only cow up the river, King-Lu sees an opening and Cookie sees an animal he would like to be kind to. They milk her by lamplight, Cookie fries the milk into cakes with honey and cinnamon, and the fort forms a queue. Reichardt shoots the selling as a heist would be shot, all glances and timing, and we found ourselves gripping the arm of the chair over a bucket. Christopher Blauvelt photographs it in a boxy, near-square frame, which stops the landscape being scenery and makes it something you have to squeeze through. The greens are wet and the browns are mud, and the night scenes are lit by whatever Cookie is holding. Anthony Gasparro’s fort is boards, rope and a market of planks; nothing in it looks built to last, which is the point. April Napier puts Jones in a felt hat and a coat that cost more than everyone else’s belongings combined, and dresses Cookie in a soft cap and a shirt that has plainly been the same shirt for years. William Tyler’s score is an acoustic guitar, picked slowly, and it comes in only when the two men are alone. The scene that moved us more than we expected is one where nothing is said. King-Lu chops wood outside his shack. Cookie, inside, unasked, sweeps the floor, shakes out a rug and puts a wildflower in a jar. Reichardt, who edits her own films, holds it long past where most directors would cut, and by the end of it we understood the two men had decided to stay together without either of them having proposed it. Magaro plays Cookie with his shoulders, always slightly turned away, and Lee plays King-Lu with his eyes on the horizon. They are the best-matched pair she has directed. Around them the fort fills up. Jones is wonderful as a man who talks about the fashions of London while standing in a swamp, and the moment he tastes a cake and looks puzzled by his own pleasure is the funniest thing in the film. Ewen Bremner, as Lloyd, is the first and most devoted customer. Scott Shepherd’s Captain arrives for a dinner that the film treats as a small piece of theatre. Lily Gladstone, as the Factor’s Chinook wife, and Gary Farmer, as Totillicum, share a scene of their own, in their own language, that the film simply lets happen. It is slow, and we would not have it faster, but we will not pretend the second hour never dragged. Reichardt also lets King-Lu say what the film is about, more than once: that a man here needs capital or a crime, that history has not arrived. The images have already made the point, and the lines land like a teacher tapping the board. The prologue with the skeletons tells you the shape of the ending before the story starts, and some viewers will spend the film waiting for it rather than watching. Measured against her own *Meek’s Cutoff*, this is warmer and funnier, and less frightened of the land. Against the Western generally, it is the rare one in which the only weapon that matters is a jar of honey. The last half hour takes the story where the first two minutes promised, and we will say no more than that it did not feel like a trick. It runs 122 minutes and carries a 12A. Do not put it on tired. Put it on when you have the evening, and let the cow arrive at her own pace. *Fi1m score 85, published 30 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics like First Cow a great deal, and they like it for the same reason. The praise clusters on the friendship between Cookie and King-Lu, and on the unforced rapport between John Magaro and Orion Lee, which several reviews name as the source of the film’s feeling. Reichardt’s patience is the other recurring compliment: her attention to process, the tactile period detail of the outpost, and a landscape that becomes a character in its own right. Several also find it funnier and warmer than her earlier work. The reservations are narrow and familiar. The pace is slow and the film is long, and a few critics admit it may lose the impatient. Slant Magazine thinks the two leads work better as symbols than as people, and Vulture finds the writing slackens once the scheme is under way. The lone dissenter is The New Yorker, which sees the film’s suspense and political point undone by a predetermined, impersonal approach. ## Straight answers **Is First Cow worth watching?** *First Cow* is worth watching for anyone with a patient evening and a taste for slow, funny, quietly sad frontier stories, and we scored it 85. It is deliberately unhurried, and the second hour drags in places, but the friendship between John Magaro's cook and Orion Lee's fugitive is one of the best pairings Kelly Reichardt has directed. Do not put it on tired. **How long is First Cow, and what is it rated?** *First Cow* runs 2h 02m and is rated PG-13 by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and western film. **Where can I watch First Cow in the US?** *First Cow* is streaming on Tubi in the US, and it is also available to rent from Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is First Cow, and is it suitable for children?** *First Cow* is a 12A and is far more slow than it is violent or frightening. There is a killing in its backstory, some bullying of the cook by the trappers, and a prologue in which two skeletons are found, but the weapon that matters most is a jar of honey. Younger children are more likely to be bored than upset; teenagers who can sit still will be fine. **How does First Cow compare to Meek's Cutoff?** *First Cow* is the warmer and funnier of Kelly Reichardt's two Oregon westerns, and we think it is the better film. [*Meek's Cutoff*](https://film.one/film/meeks-cutoff) is harder and hungrier, a story of pioneer fear with Michelle Williams at its centre, and some of its supporting characters stay thin. Start with *First Cow* if you want company; go to *Meek's Cutoff* if you want the land to feel like a threat. **Is First Cow based on a true story or a book?** *First Cow* is based on a novel by Jonathan Raymond, who wrote the screenplay with Kelly Reichardt; it is fiction, not a true story. The 1820s Oregon Territory setting, its fort and its fur trappers are historical dressing for an invented tale about two men and a stolen pail of milk. You do not need to have read the book to follow or enjoy it. **What should I watch after First Cow?** After *First Cow*, try [*Meek's Cutoff*](https://film.one/film/meeks-cutoff) (2010, Fi1m 82): Reichardt’s earlier Oregon western, harder and hungrier, with the same Raymond script sense. Then [*McCabe & Mrs. Miller*](https://film.one/film/mccabe-and-mrs-miller) (1971, Fi1m 90): Altman’s mud-and-rain frontier town, where a small business is also a death sentence; and [*Dead Man*](https://film.one/film/dead-man-walking) (1995, Fi1m 84): Jarmusch’s black-and-white western drift, with Gary Farmer as the only sane man. ### Reviews we read (30) - **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan (5/5): O’Sullivan calls the film stunning and urges readers to see it first. She singles out William Tyler’s soundtrack for its heart-rending effect. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/first-cow-review-western-kelly-reichardt-first-movie-b937382.html) - **The i Paper**, Joseph Walsh (★★★★★): Walsh regards the film as one of Reichardt’s finest, praising its gentle authority. He singles out the warmth and everyday intimacy of Cookie and King Lu’s friendship. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/first-cow-review-berlin-film-festival-kelly-reichardt-film-release-launch-odd-couple-tale-male-friendship-toby-jones-401680) - **IndieWire**, Eric Kohn (A-): Kohn praises the film as a hypnotic, warm story that brings Reichardt’s recurring themes into focus. He singles out the tender bond between the two friends and the film’s communion with the Pacific Northwest landscape. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/first-cow-review-kelly-reichardt-1202169928/) - **Little White Lies**, Sophie Monks Kaufman (85/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a sublime, quietly affecting portrait of friendship and class. She singles out its transfixing visual detail and tactile world-building for praise. [Read](https://lwlies.com/festivals/first-cow-berlin-film-festival-review) - **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (85/100, inferred): Chang praises the film as an atmospheric, suspenseful story that treats its characters with clear-eyed affection rather than easy triumphalism. He singles out Reichardt’s patient attention to process and detail, along with the lived-in world it creates. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-03-04/first-cow-review-kelly-reichardt) - **Sight and Sound** (85/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a playful, poignant and quietly winning western. They praise its exquisite period details and its affectionate portrayal of a diverse pioneer community. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/first-cow-kelly-reichardt-oregon-milk-rustling-western) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (85/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the film tremendously engaging and praises its forceful, distinctive storytelling. He singles out its beautifully simple cinematography and palpable sense of financial jeopardy. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/feb/22/first-cow-review-kelly-reichardt-superbly-chewy-tale-of-milk-cakes-in-the-old-west) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (85/100, inferred): Rooney finds the film hypnotic, beautiful, and absorbing despite its sparse narrative. He especially praises the believable rapport between Magaro and Lee, which gives the quiet story its emotional force. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/first-cow-review-telluride-2019-1234367/) - **The AV Club**, A.A. Dowd (B+): Dowd finds the film a touching portrait of friendship and a quietly incisive American creation myth. He especially praises the gentle rapport between John Magaro and Orion Lee, while noting the film’s deliberately meditative pace may be an acquired taste. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/kelly-reichardt-s-first-cow-finds-an-american-creation-1842070712) - **Empire**, Ian Freer (82/100, inferred): Freer finds the film beautifully rendered and its friendship deeply affecting, though it does not break much new ground. He singles out the understated performances of John Magaro and Orion Lee, especially Magaro’s gentle, carefully modulated portrayal. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/first-cow/) - **Radio Times**, Beth Webb (4/5): The review is positive about the film’s humane focus on the need for connection. It singles out the gentle bond between Cookie and King-Lu as the story’s heart. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-hhqvla/first-cow/) - **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (4/5): The review calls the film quietly powerful and praises its earthy poetry. It singles out Reichardt’s evocative rendering of early American life. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/first-cow) - **Vulture**, David Edelstein (75/100, inferred): Edelstein finds the film haunting and moving, ultimately redefining home through friendship. He praises the chemistry and tenderness of the two leads, while faulting the writing once their scheme is underway. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2020/07/first-cow-movie-review-kelly-reichardts-frontier-drama.html) - **Variety**, Peter Debruge (70/100, inferred): Debruge finds the film lean but engaging, with a melancholy, open-ended story. He especially praises the tender bond between Cookie and King-Lu, which the film’s intimate framing brings into focus. [Read](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/first-cow-review-1203319530/) - **Screen Daily**, Stephen Whitty (66/100, inferred): The accessible page identifies this as a review but does not reveal the critic’s verdict. Its standfirst describes the film as an Old West tale of love and money, without giving a specific element praised or criticized. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/first-cow-new-york-review/5143287.article) - **The New York Times** (66/100, inferred): The page appears to be a review, but its verdict cannot be determined from the blocked text. No specific praise or complaint is available in the accessible material. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/03/movies/first-cow-review.html) - **Film Comment**, Imogen Sara Smith (65/100, inferred): The piece considers Reichardt’s film alongside Olanda, framing them as sharing concerns with nature and capitalism. The available text gives no specific verdict or further praise or complaint. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/phantom-light-kelly-reichardt-first-cow-bernd-shoch-olanda/) - **RogerEbert.com** (65/100, inferred): The page appears to be RogerEbert.com’s review of the matching film, but its verdict cannot be established from the blocked page. No specific praise or complaint is visible. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/first-cow-movie-review-2020) - **Slant Magazine**, Keith Uhlich (2.5/4): The review finds the film’s social critique compelling but says its leads feel more like symbols than fully realized people. It praises the vividly realized outpost and the supporting cast, especially the film’s quietly observed details. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/first-cow-review-kelly-reichardt/) - **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (30/100, inferred): Brody finds the film divided against itself, with its suspense and political insight undermined by a predetermined, impersonal approach. He praises Reichardt’s attentive portrayal of Chinook culture, but faults the film for narrowing its characters and experiences into a didactic argument. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/first-cow-reviewed-kelly-reichardts-fatalistic-portrait-of-early-american-entrepreneurs) - **The Skinny**, Jamie Dunn (★★★★★): Dunn praises Reichardt’s film as her sweetest and funniest to date, while finding hope in its downbeat view of the American Dream. He singles out the warm humour and tender friendship between Cookie and King-Lu. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/first-cow-kelly-reichardt-berlin-2020) - **Paste**, Natalia Keogan (9.1/10): Keogan finds the film’s humane vision a compelling contrast to the selfishness and inequality of capitalism. She praises the earnest humor and the nourishing friendship at its center. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/kelly-reichardt/first-cow-streaming-review) - **NME** (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film Kelly Reichardt’s finest feature to date and finds it funny, compelling, and moving. They single out John Magaro and Orion Lee’s excellent portrayal of the friendship at its core. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/first-cow-review-2613883) - **Polygon**, Karen Han (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film sublime, praising its tender portrayal of Cookie and King-Lu’s friendship. She singles out the actors’ rapport and the quiet domestic gestures that make their connection feel moving. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2020/3/6/21168331/first-cow-review-a24-kelly-reichardt-john-magaro-orion-lee-toby-jones/) - **The Wrap** (90/100, inferred): The critic considers the film a quiet masterwork, rich in humane melancholy. They single out the expressive cinematography, which makes the surrounding landscape feel like a central character. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/first-cow-film-review-kelly-reichardt/) - **The Ringer**, Adam Nayman (88/100, inferred): Nayman finds the film moving, sincere, and beautifully made, while acknowledging that its ambling pace may not suit every viewer. He especially praises the tenderness and mutual respect in Cookie and King Lu’s friendship, alongside the film’s subtle handling of class and history. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2020/03/05/movies/first-cow-review-kelly-reichardt) - **Collider**, Orestes Adam (85/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as a tender, quietly affecting revisionist Western. They single out Reichardt’s meditative style and the warmth of Cookie and King-Lu’s friendship. [Read](https://collider.com/first-cow-movie-western/) - **/Film**, Marshall Shaffer (8/10): Shaffer finds the film a fascinating, touching deconstruction of American capitalism and the Western. He praises Reichardt’s intimate portrayal of friendship and the tension between self-sacrifice and self-interest. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/569987/first-cow-review/) - **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (70/100, inferred): Wilkinson finds the film quietly affirmative, with friendship offering warmth amid an emerging commercial world. She praises Reichardt’s organic atmosphere and the gentle way she sets the characters’ dreams against capitalism. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/first-cow-2019-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) - **Den of Geek**, David Crow (3/5): Crow finds the film emotionally poignant and ultimately haunting, though its slow pacing and long runtime make it less involving. He praises the intelligent ending and the affectionate portrait of fellowship between the two leads. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/first-cow-review/) ## Details - **Director:** Kelly Reichardt - **Director:** Kelly Reichardt - **Screenplay:** Kelly Reichardt, Jonathan Raymond - **Novel:** Jonathan Raymond - **Cinematography:** Christopher Blauvelt - **Editor:** Kelly Reichardt - **Music:** William Tyler - **Production design:** Anthony Gasparro - **Costume design:** April Napier - **Producer:** Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani - **Cast:** John Magaro as Cookie; Orion Lee as King-Lu; Toby Jones as Chief Factor; Ewen Bremner as Lloyd; Scott Shepherd as Captain; Gary Farmer as Totillicum; Lily Gladstone as Chief Factor’s Wife; Alia Shawkat as Woman with Dog - **Runtime:** 2h 02m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13 - **Release (the US):** 6 March 2020 - **Genres:** Drama, Western - **Budget:** $2 million - **Box office:** $101,068 - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj8-uY92CIE ## Where to watch in the US - Tubi: free - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $4.99, sd - Apple TV: buy $12.99, sd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, sd *Checked 2026-09-30.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IN, IT, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TH, TR, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Meek's Cutoff* (2010), Fi1m 82: Reichardt’s earlier Oregon western, harder and hungrier, with the same Raymond script sense. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/meeks-cutoff.md) - *McCabe & Mrs. Miller* (1971), Fi1m 90: Altman’s mud-and-rain frontier town, where a small business is also a death sentence. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/mccabe-and-mrs-miller.md) - *Dead Man* (1995), Fi1m 84: Jarmusch’s black-and-white western drift, with Gary Farmer as the only sane man. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/dead-man-walking.md) - *The Sisters Brothers* (2018), Fi1m 78: Two brothers, a chemist and a gold scheme; a French director’s tender American west. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-sisters-brothers.md) - *Babette's Feast* (1987), Fi1m 86: Cooking as an act of love in a place that does not know how to receive it. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/babettes-feast.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/first-cow