Cow

A movie from the cows perspective. Institutionalized animal exploitation. They suffer a life of indignity by being kept pregnant to keep up milk production. After a lifetime of service they are dispassionately slaughtered to support the meat and leather industry. Especially poignant when you consider that not one of the product produced by this effort is actually healthy for human consumption. The cost to the environment is also horrific. When will humans evolve beyond this barbaric practice?

Pop music and the cruel circle of life in an industry totally devoted to make these animals have babies, provide milk -- until they eventually get sacrificed (that shot is truly haunting in its rawness). Of course it's immersive as you'd expect, as camera is always positioned like another cow's pair of eyes, following Luma and her friends everywhere in the farm. Kind of a dead end right from the start -- that's why is feels repetitive and maybe long --, but nevertheless a challenging experience.

There's a distinct lack of any attempt to humanize Luma, and the film doesn't feel doctrinaire. It's simply asking us to think about Luma and her existence for an extended period of time. I found the film to be meditative, and it largely succeeds because of that. The more I stopped trying to intellectualize, the better I could see Luma.

Andrea Arnold - who calls the film an "invitation" - continues her ongoing exploration of the conditions of the working class through inexperienced actors. I'm told that in today's economy, it's virtually impossible to be a small-scale dairy farmer; you either go industrial or it's just an expensive hobby. There's no malice here, just efficiency in the face of a demand Luma can never understand. It's just her face we get to see.

"What Is It Like To Be A Cow" by Andrea Arnold

Liked this way more than 'Gunda'. It really shouldn't work, but the incredible majestic cinematography goes a long way.

Comecei a ver esse filme ontem de madrugada e previ que geraria gatilhos que não me fariam dormir nunca mais, então deixei para ver o resto hoje, dito e feito. Absolutamente terrível, terrível. Acho que aqui fica claro do porquê de tantas mulheres como eu que cresceram em sítios e fazendas se tornarem veganas quando adultas, é isso que a gente vê inocentemente quando criança e introjeta como condição feminina e nos identificando com a opressão sofrida. É MUITO difícil ver uma merda dessa. MUITO

Life as a dairy cow: even when it's good, it's not great...

A very clever piece of film making-just cows , no narrative and no judgement but still this makes you think about so many aspects of humanity.

"Cow" is a powerful and emotionally resonant portrait of the life of a dairy cow, offering a rich and textured landscape of an undervalued life. Although it struggles to maintain an engrossing presence consistently, Andrea Arnold's exceptional skills as a storyteller make this a compelling and meditative exploration of an intimate perspective. It's a film that is both stark and fascinating in its portrayal, texturing a potent landscape with a stirring inspection that is potently revealing.

Poor cows - gathered in a circle to milk while low-level corporate pop songs blare from the radio in their barn all day long. (when you think that there are also people who work in such conditions (in a shopping centre for i. g) - it's terrifying