Cow (2021 film)

Last updated

Cow
Directed by Andrea Arnold
Produced byKat Mansoor
CinematographyMagda Kowalczyk
Edited by
  • Rebecca Lloyd
  • Jacob Schulsinger
  • Nicolas Chaudeurge
Production
companies
Distributed by MUBI
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.

Contents

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]

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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. 1 2 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.
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