Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A close-up portrait of the daily lives of a pair of cows: told by way of some narrative-free, intimate POV photography, with plenty of close shot images, we follow the daily routine of these animals as they live what can only be described as mundane, boring lives - all with an ultimate purpose within the human food chain.
Cow is Andrea Arnold's intimate observational documentary that strips away narration and anthropomorphism to present bovine existence on its own terms. The cinematography is genuinely exceptional — Arnold and her team achieve extraordinary closeness to the animals, with immersive, tactile imagery that puts the viewer inside the cows' sensory world. There is no conventional plot or acting to evaluate meaningfully; the film scores modestly there by default. Novelty is above average but not exceptional — the observational animal documentary has precedents (Leviathan, etc.), though Arnold's feature-filmmaking instincts bring a distinctive intimacy. The ending, which circles back to the cycle of life on the farm with quiet inevitability, is affecting but not revelatory.