Why we picked it – Kelly Reichardt is well-known for her minimalist style. This is a simple story, plainly told, but with depth.

Synopsis – In the 1820s the Oregon Territory was not yet part of the USA. The British controlled the fur trading posts. A taciturn and solitary cook has travelled west to work for fur trappers there. He meets a Chinese immigrant on the run who is also seeking his fortune. This odd couple collaborate on a business venture which is highly successful, but dangerously reliant upon the clandestine participation of the local factor’s prized milking cow.

The film –  Jonathan Raymond’s novel, The Half-Life, provides the basis of the film’s plot. Reichardt has long wanted to film it. But it is much more complex with parallel storylines of two friendships separated by 160 years. In 1820s Oregon, a cook meets a man on the run. He is not Chinese. In 1980s Oregon, two teenage girls set out to make a low budget film. There is no cow. Reichardt has made a much simpler story – a fable of the American dream and the brutality of the marketplace.

Director: Kelly Reichardt, Writers: Kelly Reichardt, Jonathan Raymond, Cinematography: Christopher Blauveldt. USA 2019 121 mins (12A)

Links – imdb entry Guardian review Daily Telegraph review

Trivia – The cow in the film is called Eve. She is very friendly and she ahs subsequently had a calf which has been called Cookie.