The long mirror remained motionless, and the giant wheel traversed the screen. In this way, the modern atmosphere of capitalism came silently.
The opening of "The First Cow" reminds us of our situation: we are in the 21st century-an era of rampant capital and material desires.
But the real background of the movie is Oregon in the 1820s-northwestern America, a gathering area of native Indians, a barren land where wildness and rudeness thrived.
Countless pioneers approached here, and their heads were filled with dreams of getting rich.
The muddy, jungle, primitive desolation, and rough crowds shown in the movie reproduce to us the backwardness and desolation of that era.
Yes, everything is really old.
Dilapidated tents, shabby wooden houses, mud-stained milk, dirty and messy clothes... They are like an incredible spectacle, lying in front of us, locked in the screen, stealing our curious eyes.
Such a "bad" natural landscape makes the two men in the story even more helpless and insignificant.
Facts have also proved that it is quite difficult for a person to survive in an area where the food and clothing problem has not yet been resolved.
It is also difficult for us to imagine the sad state of mind that the naked golden road is hiding in the bushes for hiding and hunting.
The icing on the cake is easy, but the charcoal is difficult.
Cookie's help was the beginning of their great friendship. One is a shy and gentle Western cook, and the other is a shrewd and courageous Chinese businessman.
They have to face the entire harsh environment, the desire for money, and the potential threats under the operation of capital.
Threats come from adventure, adventure comes from desire, desire is born in the jungle. They are obviously unwilling to obey the inherent laws of the jungle and try their luck with their skills.
Cookie has baking skills. He suggested that some cakes can be baked and sold in the town, but milk is needed in the raw materials.
A dangerous, passionate and slightly comical action unfolded: one person guards the tree and the other is responsible for milking.
The pastry was a big success. They used the first cow in the town to earn the "first pot of gold" after starting a business.
But the cattle are not their own after all. Behind the soaring value of risk, their vision for the future is getting bigger and bigger. In the end, their pride and “bronder” ignited the fleeing lead.
This is a sad story, but also a very ordinary story.
They are like the dust of the times making fertilizer for the wilderness and jungle. The film observes all this from a very objective and calm perspective, just like Flaubert's brushstrokes, watching how Madame Bovary walks towards destruction step by step.
We also watched them from the screen as they just stepped on the steps of a tall building, and fell down before they stood still. This is a personal tragedy and a tragedy of the times. In the evolution of the times from canoe to giant wheel, how many people fell under the vortex of capitalism like them?
The rationality of the movie doesn't seem to point the finger at anyone. The dramatic dismemberment and subjective castration are miserable.
Director Rechard tries to capture the emotional ripples it stimulates from the moment of life. From the beginning, cookie picked mushrooms under the slow motion of the mirror, life in the wild became no longer rude, but appeared light, hazy, ritual, and mushrooms fell in his hands like flowers.
This is a gentle, delicate and kind-hearted man, this is a poetic and sacred moment.
And the encounter between him and Jin Lu. In a wooden house, one person cuts wood and burns, and one person picks flowers to decorate the house.
The joy, embarrassment, ambiguity, and subtle emotions between each other continue to ferment. This is life, this is reality, and this is the brewing of a potential love.
Perhaps because of the female director, the friendship between men seems so tender. The western story under Rechard's lens is as soft as the moonlight.
Silent atmosphere, dark and cold tones, ambiguous grainy texture. She deliberately slowed down both the camera and the characters, creating a poetic and gentle temperament of "the former carts and horses were very slow".
Gentle man, innocent face, wild life. The dream of making a fortune in the west is still like colorful bubbles in the sun, shining dazzlingly, and finally disappearing like smoke.
There is no trace of them in this era, only two piles of bones are nestled deep in the mud.
But at least they are not alone.
First release in: a few movies
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