Pastoral songs wash away the impression of gold rush

Addie 2022-01-20 08:01:15

Text丨Kieslowski.

Starting 丨Motivational

In the remote woods, the girl was pacing with the puppy. The keen puppy quickly smelled the unusual smell. The soft soil and the dead leaves that covered it were slashed away by it and the girl. Two complete bones appeared on the screen. In, it seems that I can’t tell how long it has been buried...

Kelly Richard's new work "The First Cow" just opened with the appearance of a girl and a dog and a 4:3 frame ratio, allowing the audience familiar with her to find some "Wendy and Lu" in the movie-watching memory. The shadow of Akane and Mick’s Shortcut, but you will soon find that this is an illusion.

As the ferry on the river slowly kicked off the curtain, excerpted from a sentence in William Blake's "Hell's Proverbs":

The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship." (Birds need nests, spiders need webs, people need friendship)

Leaping on the screen, this seems to imply the relationship between the two deceased who are close to each other in front of the camera. A piece of history begins to echo on this land...

Although director Rechard had only six feature films before, her style of authorship and distinctive personal elements have won her the favor of many film critics. The protagonists in her movies are often struggling on the edge of life, and they are often placed in some uninhabited'edge' environments, such as the inaccessible mountains and forests in "Operation Night";

"Operation Night"

The treacherous wilderness in "Mick's Shortcut";

"Mick's Shortcut"

There are also unfamiliar urban corners in "Wendy and Lucy", and "The First Cow" is no exception-after a brief modern prologue, the camera pushes the audience back to the wild mountains and forests of Oregon in the western United States in the early nineteenth century. Among them, we witnessed the accidental encounter between the white Cookie and the Chinese immigrant King-Lu. One was a cook who was employed by an animal fur hunting organization and was dispatched and isolated, and the other was a gold rush evading Russian hunting and killing. Those who endure exile and hunger.

Unlike previous encounters between different races in westerns, which often start with vigilance or conflict, Reichard arranged the plot with a natural and soft feeling-Cookie provided King-Lu with food and clothes. Sharing the tent without reservation for him to spend a night to rest, sowed the seeds for their future encounter and cooperation.

When we meet by the water, friendship sprouts quietly. Rechard did not give more specific clues to the background of the story and the characters, including King-Lu's quiet departure. Many blanks need to be filled by the audience. This stems from her consistent narrative in the film. Keep the minimalist style, even in the previous crime thriller "Operation Night" and the western film "Mick's Shortcut", the gentle rhythm and anti-dramatic narration are the main tones of her films. In her own words:

"To see if you could get tension by basically not delivering the heightened moment"

This is also the reason why some viewers are more or less obscure about her films. However, in this "First Cow", Reichard seems to have made some adjustments.

The brown cow referred to by the title came to this land almost at the same time as Cookie. It became the local'first cow'. Strictly speaking, its appearance was all based on the interest of the local chief-hoping to drink it in Britain. Style milk tea.

Rechard gave this cow with noble ancestry enough shots. In a sense, it symbolizes wealth, and it can even be understood as a kind of plunder. Like the white people who went west, they didn’t belong to them. This western land. Its appearance seemed a bit out of place, but it brought a turning point in Cookie's vision and fate.

Cookie and King-Lu meet again in the bar of the trading post. The friendship between the travellers in the forest hut takes root again, not as embarrassed as when they first met-hired and exile-this time, their identity is baking Division and businessman.

Thanks to milk and King-Lu’s shrewd minds, the cakes made by Cookie exchanged their cooperation for rapid wealth accumulation, and also attracted the attention of the chief. This seems like a greater opportunity, but it is also Heralds risks.

Milk, as a scarce material, is like gold to Cookie and King-Lu, but they must be stolen in exchange for it; and the Chief, as the vested owner of capital and land, is in his “good insights” on acquiring new labor. In China, it shows the bloody exploitative attitude of capitalists.

Two people steal milk at night

While showing the audience the natural picture of the American West and the simple friendship between a pair of travelers, Reichard ruthlessly disclosed the ugliness of the beginning of capitalism or the defects of the beginning of the birth of the American dream, because it was early in the beginning of the movie. , Rechard pierced the bubble of such an American dream, let us foresee the fate of the travelers.

But at the same time, the film is also gentle and idyllic because of the infusion of Reichard's personal style. Rechard is good at sculpting some natural and life-like moments. These moments are often filled with some details. She describes these details as'or chores; or simple repetitions in life; or open spaces', these Both can be easily captured in "The First Cow", especially when Cookie collects some ingredients in the mountains and cooks cakes in the hut;

Of course, it also includes the moment when King-Lu invited Cookie to his cabin for the first time. Cookie subconsciously cleaned and picked up the fragments of the cabin. It is hard not to smile knowingly for witnessing the simple friendship naturally born in this slightly hard life. .

Not only does this cross-skinned friendship appear to be'incompatible' in such a gold rush that is full of barbarism and predation, Cookie and King-Lu are the'beating heart' of the film, and it is also similar to the heroic style of traditional westerns. Male images are very different-Cookie's simple, kind, and even shy character changes the rough and masculine stereotype of white people in Western movies. In the portrayal of a Chinese immigrant like King-Lu, Reichard also Completely abandon the habitual prejudice against people of color, magnify the'smartness' peculiar to Orientals in him, and allow us to clearly infer from his conversation that he is well-educated.

Obviously, "The First Bull" is Rechard's anti-typological attempt on Westerns after "Mick's Shortcut". It is no longer focusing on the female images in Westerns, but with The natural and subtle interpersonal relationship of a pair of travelers is the driving force of the film, and the development of this relationship is advanced in a gentle rhythm; it is arranged with casual details and simple actions of the characters; and it is integrated into the quiet and uncivilized nature of the western land. Scenery and Rechard's consistent observations of the special emotions between humans and animals include almost all the characteristics of Rechard's images, but it cannot be easily summarized as Rechard's retelling of his own style.

Western scenery

Because you can see this relationship with'King-Lu's escape' and'Stealing milk was accidentally discovered' as the two separators, Cookie and King-Lu have gone through two separate toss and turns, it is almost difficult for you to be in Leicha Such ups and downs have been found in De’s previous works. In the creation of "The First Cow", which was once again hand-in-hand with Jonathan Raymond, Richard laid enough clues to discover the suspense and light humor buried in it. feel.

Separately for the second time, each fleeing

At the same time, she has always been more inclined to use environmental soundtracks and avoid soundtracks. In "The First Cow", she interspersed with violin and acoustic guitars to add notes to the natural scenery in the film and the life of the couple. The pastoral reverie reflects the mutual trust, harmony and even some incredible friendship between them. It can be said that from the perspective of'story' or viewing experience, "The First Cow" must be the most'good-looking' of Reichard's works.

Moreover, precisely because of the combination of this pastoral atmosphere close to nature and the gentle image style of Rechard, she succeeded in drawing the audience's attention away from the sights of'Western Barbarism' and'Gold Panning Desire'. Transfer to the interaction between'Cookie, King-Lu and the first cow' outlined by her. Her lens is like a passerby in that era, perhaps a witness, showing a glimpse of Cookie and King-Lu's life she intercepted, so even if she is in the prologue'prematurely' It hints at the inevitable ending of the American dream of the audience, but you will not feel the call of fate violently; When I met again for the second time, I forgot the thrills of the process, and was fortunate that the door of friendship was opened again.

Reunion for the second time

No matter how difficult the reality and marginal situation Rechard places her role in, she is always willing to keep a trace of beautiful yearning in their eyes, like the tenderness she left to the audience-in "Wendy At the end of "With Lucy", Wendy's life is so bad that she has to say goodbye to Lucy temporarily, but the audience can still intuitively appreciate the sincerity of the emotions between her and Lucy and maybe one day they can be reunited. Anticipating.

End of "Wendy and Lucy"

The same goes for "The First Cow", in King-Lu's sentence:

"It's okay, we are together

At the end, we saw him and Cookie lying down next to each other. Maybe they never woke up, but at that moment, the warmth of the birds in the nest; the peace of the spiders relying on the cobwebs.

View more about First Cow reviews

Extended Reading
  • Joana 2022-03-20 09:02:41

    We will never understand the tenderness of pioneers. Close to a square retro lens, the milk that the cow squeezes out is also human and gentle. This world is becoming more and more magical. Only in the literary and artistic films can the people of China and the United States not break their heads...

  • Jeanette 2022-04-23 07:04:03

    Literary and artistic youths survive in the wilderness, dying of laughter, especially helplessly warm their hearts. Being adored by Margaro, his patience with animals, respect for life, and kindness in human nature all make him look like someone he knows. That kind of "naivety" seems a bit ridiculous under such harsh living conditions, but it is more valuable, and it also makes the story more colorful. Jing Lu also performed well. He is neither humble nor arrogant. He is very much like people in contemporary society who are trying to integrate into the times. It's really two unworthy young people. This kind of friendship is as old and fragile as this forest. It's such a small daughter-in-law to clean the room, wash and cook. The film really captures the forest beautifully. I have never been to such a forest before, and I am especially yearning for it.

First Cow quotes

  • Fort Trapper: She's a very fine cow.

  • King-Lu: I think we should test the waters. Next batch, Cookie, we'll take to market. I've heard a fortune is made on this.

    Cookie: That seems dangerous.

    King-Lu: So is anything worth doing.