First Cow

Oregon, 1820s: Otis Figowitz, who goes by Cookie, works as a cook for a group of fur trappers. One day he meets King-Lu, a Chinese man on the run from a bunch of Russians. Cookie takes him in and they soon become close friends. When the two men discover a cow roaming nearby their friendship takes a whole new turn. The cow actually belongs to a wealthy English trader, but they decide to secretly milk it at night anyway. With the milk they make delicious cakes, which quickly become a huge hit. That is, until it becomes known where their main ingredient comes from...

This is director Kelly Reichardt's second western following Meek's Cutoff (2011), and yet again she avoids all the clichés of the genre. It becomes clear that for many it was a harsh and poor life at the time, but First Cow is above all a film about a special friendship.