Cow (12): Clever But Devestating Bovine-based Cinéma Vérité.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Cow” (2022).

“Cow” is a much-praised documentary that came out in the UK at the start of 2022 but which I never got to see, despite it having being on the BBC iPlayer to watch for free for a while now. Prompted by an “Available for 30 days” message on the iPlayer, I finally got to it. And boy, does it make you think more about what you put in your mouth.

Bob the Movie Man Rating:

Plot Summary:

Luma (or cow number 1129 as she is branded) is a dairy cow in a standard Kent dairy farm. We follow a few years in Luma’s life.

Certification:

UK: 12; US: NR; From the BBFC web site: “Upsetting scenes, infrequent strong language”. (I can’t actually recall any “strong language”…. perhaps it was some of the farm hands or vet comments in the background on the soundtrack. But I certainly would concur with the “upsetting scenes” view: I think this movie would be VERY challenging for more sensitive 12-year-olds. Parents beware).

Talent:

Starring: Luma!

Directed by: Andrea Arnold.

Twitter Handle: -.

Running Time: 1h 34m.

The joy of spring for the new calves in the fields. (Source: BBC Films)

“Cow” Review:

Positives:

You can surely not be unmoved by this movie. How can it be so enthralling and devasatating to watch a cow going about its business with no ‘dialogue’ per se and no real story? Luma isn’t even a particularly special cow: she just produces milk and calves for her farmer. And her farmer clearly cares for her: all those staff, machinery and vet visits don’t come cheap.
This intimacy is achieved by Andrea Arnold’s camera roving close to – and at some points, I thought, dangerously close to – her subjects. And the editing, or in some cases lack of editing, is superb. There’s a scene where an obviously distraught Luma is mooing with despair. The camera lingers there…. looking straight into her eyes – into her very soul it feels like – for over a minute… taking it all in.
No spoilers, but the ending is a gut punch.

Negatives:

There are points where (despite breaking the “Cinéma vérité” approach that works so well) some explanatory context would have been useful. For example, there’s a scene which looks like a man is using a power tool to drill into a calf’s brain. I actually clocked that this was them ‘de-horning’ the calf, but for some less-rural viewers, this must have been truly baffling.
It’s only 94 minutes, so not a long film. But I found it sluggish and repetitive in a few places. A nip and a tuck here and there to get it to 88 minutes would have been good imho. (Udder opinions are available. Sorry!)

Summary Thoughts on “Cow”

A truly memorable film. To subvert the original “Superman: The Movie” slogan, “You’ll believe a cow can cry”. It’s particularly impactful since this is no dodgy farming outfit in Romania or anything. This is probably state-of-the-art ‘free-range’ dairy farming in rural Kent. Yet it raises so many questions about the ‘rights’ of farm animals in a world where productivity and profit are king.

I saw this last night and the rubber really met the road for me today in the supermarket. I was standing in front of the rack of ‘Piemaster’ pies. You guess it… I went for the “Mooless Moo” jackfruit-based pie rather than my normal beef favourite.

Remember, you only have under a month to catch “Cow” on the BBC iPlayer!