Cow (2021 film)

For the Iranian film, see The Cow (1969 film).

2021 British film

Cow

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Andrea Arnold
Produced by| Kat Mansoor
Cinematography| Magda Kowalczyk
Edited by|

* Rebecca Lloyd
* Jacob Schulsinger
* Nicolas Chaudeurge

Production
companies

* BBC Film
* Doc Society
* Halycon Pictures
* Submarine

Distributed by| MUBI

Release date

* 8 July 2021 (2021-07-08) (Cannes)

Running time

| 94 minutes[1]
Country| United Kingdom
Language| English
Box office| $72,051[2][3]

Cow is a 2021 British documentary film by Andrea Arnold, revolving around the life of a dairy cow.

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 8 July 2021.

## Synopsis

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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 103 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]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Cow". Cannes Film Festival. 9 July 2021. 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. ^ a b 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.

## External links

[edit]

* Cow at IMDb
* Cow at Metacritic
* Cow at Rotten Tomatoes

* v
* t
* e

Andrea Arnold

Film|

* Wasp (2003)
* Red Road (2006)
* Fish Tank (2009)
* Wuthering Heights (2011)
* American Honey (2016)
* Cow (2021)
* Bird (2024)

Television|

* Big Little Lies (2019)

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template