First Cow (2019)

First Cow is a 2019 American drama film directed by Kelly Reichardt and co-written with Jonathan Raymond, based on Raymond's 2004 novel The Half-Life. Set in 1820s Oregon Country, it follows a traveling cook and a Chinese immigrant who start an illicit business using milk stolen from a wealthy trader's cow. The film stars John Magaro, Orion Lee, Toby Jones, Ewen Bremner, Lily Gladstone, and René Auberjonois in one of his final roles.

The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2019, and competed for the Golden Bear at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival. It was released in the United States by A24 in March 2020, with a wider digital release in July 2020. First Cow received critical acclaim, winning Best Film from the New York Film Critics Circle, and was named one of the ten best films of 2020 by the National Board of Review, as well as the third-best film of 2020 by Sight and Sound.