Magda Kowalczyk

Andrea Arnold’s bracing documentary may take time to pull some viewers into the Fred Wiseman-like immersion on an English cattle farm. But as cows are routinely milked, handled, herded into one pen after another, across mud-soaked floors and under buzzing bright lights, a rhythm sets in. The routine is the point. These are service animals; the unnamed humans who brusquely command them (“c’mon, girlie”) and corral them are just doing the day in, day out business of taking from them until there is nothing left to take.

Maternal instinct makes Andrea Arnold’s first feature documentary doubly challenging to watch, and that is most certainly the point. Cow takes the audience on an intimate journey alongside a dairy cow named Luma. Be prepared for your view of the bovine to drastically change. Cow is a shocking film that might turn you into an animal rights advocate. The up-close and personal handheld camerawork has a gritty feel. Cow shows us things we cannot unsee. Luma’s daily routine consists of milking, breeding, and getting shoved in any given direction.