Kelly Reichardt, bless her maverick soul, is one of the great American filmmakers of the last ten years, what with an impressive track record that speaks for itself ("Wendy and Lucy," "Meek's Cutoff," "Certain Woman" “Night Moves”) and a distinctive/austere style that strips down the cliches to get to the bare bones of the story.
With "First Cow," an adaptation of Jonathan Raymond’s novel “The Half-Life,” Reichardt is returning to the old West for a film that is rumored to be a spiritual sequel to 'Meek’. In Oregon in the 1820s, a cook and a refugee pair up for a journey that will take them to China and back again. That’s all we know. The cast is mostly unknown, with shooting having wrapped last January. There were rumors here and there that Reichardt was taking her time in the editing room and that “First Cow” would potentially premiere at Sundance in 2020.
Well, you can scratch 2020 off because Reichardt is ready for this September-October’s prestigious film festivals Venice/Telluride/TIFF/NYFF. “First Cow” has been submitted as eligible to be screened at most if not all, of those mentioned fests — whether Reichardt changes her mind remains to be seen, but Venice and TIFF are announcing their lineups next week and you can expect “First Cow” to be there.