Cow (2021 film)

For the Iranian film, see The Cow (1969 film).

Cow
Directed byAndrea Arnold
Produced byKat Mansoor
CinematographyMagda Kowalczyk
Edited by
  • Rebecca Lloyd
  • Jacob Schulsinger
  • Nicolas Chaudeurge
Production
companies
Distributed byMUBI
Release date
  • 8 July 2021 (2021-07-08) (Cannes)
Running time
94 minutes[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$70,730[2][3]

Cow is a 2021 British documentary film by Andrea Arnold, revolving around the life of a dairy cow.

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 8 July 2021.

Synopsis

The film, shot in cinéma vérité-style, portrays the life of a female dairy cow,[4] called Luma, at Park Farm in Kent, England.

Production

Andrea Arnold had wanted to make a documentary revolving around an animal for years, and considered making one about a chicken, but ultimately kept coming back to a cow because she found their lives "interesting to look at."[5] The film follows a milking cow and her calf, with Arnold warning the farmers about the potential response their farm would receive once the film was released.[6][7] Arnold wanted the audience to "see" the cow, with real feelings, as well as "show the aliveness of a nonhuman animal."[8][9] Production took place over the course of several years, with post-production taking place while Arnold was editing the second season of Big Little Lies.[10][11] Arnold has further stated that the film was intended as a presentation of life, and is not political or vegan media. She has stated, "I'm not going to talk about that because I don’t want it to become about that."[6] Rather, Arnold said "our relationship with the millions of non-human lives we use is very much part of our existence. I made Cow to invite engagement with that."[12]

Release

Cow had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 8 July 2021.[13] Prior to, MUBI acquired distribution rights to the film in the UK, Ireland and Turkey.[14] That same month, IFC Films acquired US distribution rights.[15] It was also selected in 'Icon' section of 26th Busan International Film Festival and was screened on 11 October 2021.[16]

Reception

In the UK, the film earned $28,790 from 34 theaters in its opening weekend.[17]

Cow has received critical acclaim. A review in New Scientist described it as 'moving and uncomfortable'.[18] It holds a 96% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 99 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.6/10.[19] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 80 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[20]

References

  1. ^ "Cow". Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Cow (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Cow (2022)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  4. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (3 June 2021). "MK2 Films Boards Andrea Arnold's Cannes-bound Film 'Cow' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  5. ^ Buchanan, Kyle (15 July 2021). "Andrea Arnold Has Directed A-Listers. Her Latest Star? This Cow". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  6. ^ a b O'Connor, Rory (25 July 2021). "Andrea Arnold on Capturing Cow, Bovine Beauty, and the Brutality of Nature". The Film Stage. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Interview with Andrea Arnold President of the Jury of Un Certain Regard". Cannes Film Festival. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  8. ^ Tsai, Caroline (24 July 2021). "Filmmaker Andrea Arnold On 'Cow': The Beauty & Brutality Of Nature In All Is Unglamorized Truth [Interview]". The Playlist. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  9. ^ Jacobs, Matthew (11 April 2022). "With Cow, Andrea Arnold Wanted to Show 'the Aliveness of a Nonhuman Animal'". www.vulture.com. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  10. ^ Hirwani, Peony (15 July 2021). "Cannes premiere lineup includes film shot from a cow's perspective". The Independent. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  11. ^ Ravindan, Manori (9 July 2021). "Andrea Arnold Subtly Hints at Negative 'Big Little Lies' Experience: 'I Learned a Great Deal'". Variety. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  12. ^ Arnold, Andrea (7 July 2021). "We are animals. We need to connect to the millions of non-human lives we use". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  13. ^ "The films of the Official Selection 2021". Cannes Film Festival. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  14. ^ Grater, Tom (1 July 2021). "Mubi Boards Andrea Arnold Documentary 'Cow' – Cannes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  15. ^ D’Alessandro, Anthony (28 July 2021). "IFC Films Picks Up Andrea Arnold's Buzzy Cannes Doc 'Cow'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  16. ^ "2021 Program". BIFF. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  17. ^ "British 2022 Weekend 2". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  18. ^ Hunt, Elle (30 March 2022). "Cow review: A moving and uncomfortable cow's-eye-view of farming". www.newscientist.com. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  19. ^ "Cow (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  20. ^ "Cow Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 December 2022.

External links